Haunted
by Catsafari
Summary: "You're leaving me alone in the middle of winter in a rickety old castle rumoured by the locals to be haunted." Haru smiled brightly. "What could possibly go wrong?" AU.
1. Plans

**A/N: Okay, this is the first fanfic I've done that isn't originally based on a fairytale; the idea first came from real life, and then following a lot of "what ifs" this story came to fruit. **

Chapter 1: Plans

Pulling a coat close to her, Haru shivered and glimpsed outside at the large, tissue-like snowflakes that were slowly floating past the window, lazily tracing the turn of the wind. Her eyes followed a particularly large snowflake drift down, watching it being tossed and turned about like some dizzy white ballerina.

Behind her, pulling on her own jacket, Hiromi came up and watched the weather alongside her friend. After a moment she asked, "Are you sure we can't catch a lift?"

Haru sighed and retreated into the main body of the school. "Yeah. Mum says the roads round our way are completely iced over. There's no way it'll be safe for her to come and pick us up. The same will go for your parents."

Hiromi made a face and returned to buttoning her coat up, pulling a pair of mittens over her freezing hands. "And yet it's perfectly fine for us to walk home in this."

"Well, unless you'd like to stay here overnight until the weather let's up..." Haru glanced down at the flimsy flats that the lighter brunette wore on her feet. "You know, maybe you should've worn some sturdier footwear. Your feet are going to freeze in this."

Hiromi laughed. "Yeah, maybe I should've worn the fashion statement you're currently exhibiting."

Haru scuffed about the classic green wellington boots she had worn all day against one another. "You may laugh now, but we'll see who's laughing by the time we're home." In contrast to Hiromi's woollen mittens, Haru pulled a pair of thick snow gloves from her coat pocket. Her mother had made it exceptionally clear that she didn't want her to catch a cold in this weather.

Hiromi grinned and, now kitted out for the winter weather, stepped out into the elements, brandishing her lacrosse stick like a make-shift umbrella. Sighing, Haru followed her out.

"Why did you even bother to bring that along?" Haru asked, motioning to the lacrosse stick. "It wasn't like lacrosse was going to be on in this weather."

Hiromi grinned and set off along the path in a jaunty manner. "It's my signature style," she jested. "I'm never seen without it. Anyhow, who's going to take on a girl armed with one of these?" She swung round the stick, forcing Haru to duck to avoid being knocked breathless.

"Ha ha, funny," said Haru flatly, but she was smiling too. "Come on, we should head off before you catch your death of cold."

They came to the fork in the road which split their ways home, but just before Haru was about to head down her road, Hiromi caught her wrist. "Oh, and by the way my uncles have said yes."

Haru's attention perked. "Really? What... so they're allowing us to–"

The lighter brunette nodded excitedly. "They say it's going to be a Christmas present for me – and I'm allowed to bring three friends along!"

Haru's brow furrowed and started counting people off. "So I assume I'm invited... so will Tsuge–"

"Duh, Haru, he _is_ my boyfriend after all."

Haru rolled her eyes at Hiromi. "Okay, so who's the third friend?"

"I'm letting Tsuge bring a friend along. Well," she added defensively when Haru made a face, "it would be a bit boring for him if he was stuck in an old castle for a fortnight with only girls for company."

"Oh, I dunno," teased Haru. "He might enjoy it."

Hiromi whacked her friend over the head with the lacrosse stick. "Thanks a bunch, Haru."

"You're welcome."

She returned the stick to balancing it on her shoulder. "Do you want to come or not? Because the way you're acting, I'm sure I could ask one of the other girls from our class... maybe Chika?"

"Hm, I sure you could," replied Haru, feigning indifference. "But you'd miss me really."

"No I wouldn't."

"Yes you would."

"No I wouldn't."

Haru poked her friend. "Yes, admit it. You would."

"She would what?"

Both girls jumped.

"Tsuge!" reprimanded Hiromi sternly. "Could you stop sneaking up on us like that? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

The boy grinned ruefully. "Just for the record, I was not _sneaking_. You two were just too involved in your argument to notice little ol' me."

"Oi, be nice, or I may just withdraw that invitation to the castle."

Haru laughed when Tsuge pasted a grief-stricken expression comically onto his face. "Don't worry," she reassured. "She's threatened me with it too; don't take it too personally."

Hiromi was caught up in her daydreams of the castle as she grabbed both Tsuge's and Haru's elbows, making the three of them look like a lost trio from the Wizard of Oz. "But, just think! Two weeks in a historic castle with just the four of us in there for the company. Oh, what fun we are going to have!"

"Four of us, plus the ghosts of course," added Tsuge.

"Ghosts?" repeated Haru doubtfully.

"There are always stories of ghosts in old buildings," said the boy for explanation. "Isn't there Hiromi?"

The girl frowned for a moment. "You know, I think there _is_ a story surrounding the castle... Uncle Muta mentioned it in passing over the phone."

"Uncle Muta... is he..." Haru gestured a large stomach with her hands, which could have been either a motion for someone who was pregnant, or someone very round, but Hiromi knew what she meant, "... the large one?"

Hiromi giggled. "Yep, that's him."

"I thought you said he was always teasing you and, in fact, when you first mentioned this trip you told me never to take anything he said seriously."

"Hey, I just said he mentioned it; I didn't say you had to believe him."

Tsuge sighed dramatically. "Now, now girls, are you going to fight again or are you going to head back home? Hiromi, you've got goose-bumps all the way down your arms."

"I'm fine," the girl in question insisted, pulling her short sleeves as far as they would go to cover the evidence.

"That's one of the most common lies ever, Hiromi, and you know it."

Chuckling, Haru set off along her road.

"Don't forget to ask your mum about this!" called Hiromi.

"Don't worry, I won't."

ooOoo

"Hi mum, I'm home." Her voice echoed round the familiar setting. She dumped her bag down on the sofa in the lounge, peering into the various rooms for her mother. "Mum?"

"In the kitchen."

Haru ambled into the room, only now picking up the tender smell of pasta. "Mm, that smells delicious."

The redhead grinned from her place before the oven. "Thank you Haru. What do you want?"

"Do I have to want something from you whenever I'm being nice?" Haru asked in a mock-hurt tone.

Naoko raised an eyebrow at her daughter.

"Okay, the fact that I _was_ going to ask you about Hiromi's plans for the Christmas fortnight is neither here nor there..." Haru quickly continued.

"So there _is_ something you want."

"Well... yeah, but..."

"Has Hiromi sorted out the details for this fortnight away?"

"Pretty much; she's got permission from her uncles and everything."

The redhead hummed to herself. "I'm still not convinced. Four seventeen-year-olds alone in a rickety old castle in the middle of nowhere..."

"_Mum_," stressed Haru. "Nothing's going to happen."

"I thought you said it'd probably be you, Hiromi, Tsuge and one of Tsuge's friends."

"Yeah..."

"So it's a mixed group?"

Haru blushed profoundly, able to see her mother's line of thought. "For goodness sake, nothing indecent is going to happen. It'll be a laugh, that's all."

Naoko just made a non-committal grunt to that.

Refusing to be put off by her mother's response, Haru rounded on her. "So can I go? Please, please, _please_."

"I'm still not sure."

"Hiromi's dad is going to take us there and everything," Haru added quickly. "You wouldn't need to do anything–"

"Except worry."

"Except- no! No, it'll be fine."

"Haru, you're only seventeen."

"Mum, do you remember the first time you left me in the house for a day?" she returned. "You panicked and worried for the entire day, and when you came back, the house was still standing, wasn't it? I hadn't burnt it down, or thrown a wild party, or anything, had I?"

"This is slightly different..."

"Not really, it's just an extension. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do–"

"So why–?"

"I'm just unsure of everyone else."

"You know Hiromi," Haru pointed out stiffly. "Come on mum, _please_. Please? It's not every day I get the chance to spend the holiday in an old castle."

"I would still feel better if there was some parental presence..."

"What do you expect to happen?"

The redhead paused. "Well, what if something goes wrong?"

"There is a landline there and electricity. And Hiromi's uncles will be nearby – they're letting us have the castle to ourselves, but they're staying in the village."

"I thought you said the village was a good half hour away."

"It is."

Naoko eventually sighed and gave in. "Okay, you can go. But anything if happens..."

Haru nodded. "I know, I know. For goodness sake, don't you trust me at all?"

"I'm just worried."

"It's just an old building, that's all."

Naoko smiled. "Okay, I'll relax. But say hi to the ghosts from me."

Haru rolled her eyes. "Honestly, why is everyone so obsessed with the idea that there are ghosts there? First Tsuge, then Hiromi, now you. We'll start seeing ghosts left, right and centre at this rate."

Her mother chuckled. "At least you're not going at Hallowe'en."

The brunette laughed. "Yes, thank heaven for small mercies."

ooOoo

"So she said yes?"

Haru nodded.

Hiromi squealed and pulled Haru into a bear hug. "Yay! I wasn't sure whether she was going to agree–"

"Neither was I, to tell the truth," Haru admitted. She made a face. "Hiromi, loosen your grip; I can't breathe."

"Ah, oh sorry." Hiromi obligingly released her and started back along the path. "But now we have confirmation from all the parents – we're set to go!"

"So who is Tsuge bringing along?"

Hiromi carried on walking to school, acting as if she hadn't heard her friend's question.

"Hiromi," called Haru, increasing her pace to catch up with her. "I asked who Tsuge's bringing along."

"Oh, just a friend from our class."

"Is there a reason you're not naming any names?"

"Haru, you're so paranoid."

The darker brunette rolled her eyes. "Only because you're not answering my question."

"Oh... it's just... erm... Machida."

Haru stopped. "What?"

Hiromi turned to see her friend staring at her as if she'd just grown two heads. "Machida Itsuki, from our class," she explained in a resigned voice. "You know."

"_Him_?"

"Who else?"

Haru suddenly began shaking her head violently, bringing her hands up in a wild "no" gesture. "Oh, no, no _way_ am I going on this with him coming along."

"I thought you liked him."

"I... I do."

"So what's the problem?"

"_That's_ the problem! Hiromi," stressed Haru, rounding on her friend, "you know what I'm like around him!"

Hiromi grinned in a bitter way. "Yeah. 'Oh, Ma-Ma-Machida,'" she imitated in a stuttering tone.

Haru shoved her friend, blushing embarrassedly. "Stop it. Someone might see."

Hiromi did stop and actually looked apologetic for it. "I'm sorry, but Machida's got permission from his parents – and I _did_ say Tsuge could bring along one of his friends."

"Yes, but I didn't expect..." The darker brunette sighed and shook her head. "Okay, okay, it doesn't matter. It's only two weeks – what can happen in two weeks?"


	2. The Castle

Chapter 2: The Castle

"So are you all set?"

Haru stuffed the last few items of clothing into the suitcase and then attempted to zip it shut, only for it to spring back up as soon as she moved round to the zip. "Erm, kind of," she called down the stairs.

"Hiromi is due to be coming any moment now – in what way are you 'kind of' ready?"

Haru was now sitting on her suitcase in an attempt to keep it flat. "I'm nearly there."

"Nearly there? You've only got five minutes – if that!"

The handle end of the zip came off as Haru forced it along. "Damn," she muttered. She slid it back on and finally managed to bring the suitcase cover to a close. "Um, yeah, I know that," she called to her mother.

There was beeping from outside; Haru scrambled to the window to see the familiar car of Hiromi's.

"Haru! Hiromi's here–"

"I know!" Haru began lugging her suitcase out of her room. "I know, I saw!"

Tsuge and Hiromi appeared at her door a moment later, having just rushed upstairs. "Do you need help with that?"

Haru grinned as Tsuge took the suitcase from her. "How could you tell?"

"You've packed an awful lot," Hiromi commented separately as Haru picked a rucksack and a sleeping bag from the side of her bed.

From the door, Tsuge laughed. "Like you haven't packed just as much," he teased to his girlfriend.

Haru smiled to herself as the couple began to bicker good-naturedly as they descended down the stairs. They were so cute together – a fact Haru always seemed to remember every time she saw them. A small prick of jealously seeded itself inside her, but she ignored it. As always.

"Hey, Haru, are you coming?" Hiromi called from the car. Haru snapped out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm coming." She moved her rucksack into a more comfortable position on her back and ran to catch up. Tsuge was dropping her suitcase into the car boot; Haru tossed her sleeping bag with it.

"We haven't got much room, so would you be okay with keeping your bag on your lap?" Hiromi's father asked from behind the steering wheel.

"Sure." Haru scrambled into the back with Hiromi and Tsuge. "Thanks sir for driving us there," she automatically thanked, but then her eyes travelled to the person in the passenger seat. He hadn't turned around, but Haru easily recognised him.

"Move over, would you?" Hiromi scolded to Tsuge, pushing him to the side. "I may be thin, but I'm not _that_ thin."

As Tsuge accidently knocked into Haru, she was jolted out of her thoughts and turned to her friends. "Hey, don't forget I've got to have room to breathe as well," she laughed, joining in with their laughter. Anything to take her mind off Machida.

"Sorry Haru. It's just Tsuge's too large."

"Oh, so _I'm_ to blame?"

"Well, maybe if you visited the gym more often we wouldn't have this problem," Hiromi teased.

"That's aiming below the belt..."

Hiromi just stuck out her tongue at him and elbowed him again for good measure.

ooOoo

A few too many hours and two pit stops later, they were almost at their destination. Hiromi and Tsuge had talked pretty much the entire way through, while Haru had fitted some headphones in and was gazing out at the landscape rushing past. Machida had become involved in a conversation with Hiromi's father over the make of the car, which, it seemed, they could talk about for several hours.

The landscape was a blur of trees and branches now as the four-wheel drive tumbled along a forest path; the rhythm of the passing trees almost hypnotic. Haru let her forehead fall against the window and absorb the rumble of the engine vibrating through the car. In her ears pounded the music flowing through the headphones, sending her further into the lull of sleep. Her eyes fluttered shut. She'd just have a quick nap...

"Hey, wakey-wakey, sleeping beauty," trilled Hiromi, prodding Haru awake just as she'd made the decision to sleep. "We're here."

Grudgingly Haru opened her eyes. "We are?" she repeated groggily.

"Yep." Hiromi poked her again. "Hey, don't go back to sleep."

"I'm... I'm not..." Haru said, but this was tainted with a slow yawn.

"Uh-hm. Come on, get up."

The darker brunette sighed and untangled herself from her bag's straps and basically fell out of the car, bumping into someone as she went.

"Can't you watch where you're falling?" the person demanded.

Machida.

Haru immediately straightened herself up but still had to place on hand on the car to steady herself. "I'm-I'm sorry..."

Suddenly Hiromi was at her side and steering her round to the boot. "Come on, help me carry the bags inside."

As Haru was handed her sleeping bag, she realised a blush was creeping onto her features. "Thanks," she whispered.

Hiromi just smiled. "We haven't even got inside the castle yet; it's a little early for you to embarrass yourself already, don't you think?"

"If you're trying to make me feel better, that isn't the way to go about it," Haru replied in a hissed whisper.

Hiromi's wane smile didn't go. Just as she was about to reply, another car pulled up and from it stepped out two very different men.

One was thin while the other was... round, which was the only way of putting it really. One had raven-black hair, while the other had light brown similar to Hiromi's hair.

"Uncle Muta! Uncle Toto!" cried Hiromi, forgetting the bags and rushing over to the two men. After a quick hug she added, almost accusingly, "I thought you said you were staying in the next village."

The wider man chuckled. "I did. But we just wanted to check up on our favourite niece."

"I'm your _only_ niece," Hiromi reminded them.

"All the more need for us to check on you then."

Hiromi's father came over to them. "Renaldo, Toto, thank you for allowing Hiromi to stay here, I understand you must trust her a lot–"

For some reason, the darker man just laughed. "Don't worry, I don't think they could damage it if they tried."

"Yeah, cos the _ghost_ will be watching you," the other brother warned with a grin.

Hiromi's father laughed. "Don't go filling their heads with fairytales, Renaldo. Goodness gracious, they don't need it, what with the setting and all."

The uncle Hiromi had called "Muta" tapped his nose knowingly. "Ah, but you see, it's not a fairytale. It's true. A young baron became involved with a lady whose family didn't approve of him – it's a regular Romeo and Juliet story – and the lady's father and brother came after him. It's said he died in this very castle." The last words were said in a gossipy whisper that all four teenagers heard.

Again, Hiromi's father laughed, but it was slightly hollow this time. He tugged on his brother's arm. "Renaldo," he hissed, "don't get them started. They've got to stay here for two weeks, if you go freaking them out with stories they'll be jumping at shadows all the way through it."

"Relax, they're seventeen. They're old enough to have grown out of monsters under the bed. Well," he added, poking his niece and making a face, "I assume they have."

"Toto, can you tell everyone that Renaldo's making up stories again?" Hiromi's father asked with growing impatience.

The other man frowned. "Well... there _are_ some local stories that this place is haunted," he said eventually.

"Toto!"

"Hey, I'm just saying." He saw the glare he received though, and prodded Renaldo. "But we should probably be going, don't you think, Renaldo? After all, we just came to check on you."

"Keep an eye out for the ghost," added the wider uncle, winking conspiringly at his niece before returning to the car.

ooOoo

"Do you really believe any of it?"

Haru looked up from her cards. "Believe what?"

"Why, all this about the place being haunted," explained Hiromi with a manic grin. "Two sevens," she added as she placed two cards down on the deck.

"I think it's just your uncles fooling us about again," Tsuge said. "It wouldn't be the first time. Three eights."

"You can see where the stories have come from though," combated Hiromi. "You know what I mean; old castle with a dodgy history – there's bound to be rumours."

"So you actually believe that a baron was killed here?" Haru asked incredulously.

"Would explain a lot. Your turn, Machida."

"Okay. Two nines."

"Cheat."

Machida groaned and turned over the previous two cards to reveal a six and a nine. He took the deck into his own hand, which now held most of the cards. "Are your uncles always like that?"

"Like what?"

"So... I don't know... childlike?"

"Two threes."

"Oh no, usually they're much worse," said Hiromi casually. "One two," she said as she added a card to the pile. "Usually they're always arguing."

"And fighting," Tsuge added. He grinned. "I remember last Christmas when I came to see you – was it a wine glass they broke? Two aces."

Hiromi laughed. "That and a teapot. Mum was not pleased."

"They broke a teapot and glass?" Haru repeated.

The lighter brunette shrugged it away as if it was nothing. "It was over some squabble over Christmas lunch. Uncle Muta is a little... ah, possessive... of any kitchen."

"Seeing his girth, I can believe that."

Machida placed down a card. "Why do you call him Uncle Muta? I thought your father referred to him as Renaldo."

At this Hiromi burst out laughing. "Oh, it's an accidental nickname for him. His original nickname was much worse."

At this all four teenagers leaned in, as if to listen to hot gossip.

"When I was younger, I used to call him Buta."

"Buta... as in... _pig_?"

Hiromi nodded, giggling now. "And then I used to joke that he was like a cow, so I changed it to Muta, or Moo-ta, as I pronounced it at that age. I was five at the time. The name has stuck ever since."

"And he's... okay with this?"

"Oh, he used to go red in the face every time when I was younger, apparently, but now he's quite fond of the nickname. Anyway, Uncle Renaldo is way too formal for him. Uncle Toto teases him endlessly for it."

"So your uncles... why do they work together if they always argue?"

Hiromi shrugged. "I suppose they must secretly get on; they bought this castle together as part of their inheritance from my grandfather and rent it out to make money. Whose turn is it?"

"Mine," supplied Haru. "It's nice of them to allow us to stay here," she said thoughtfully. "Two queens."

"Yeah, I wish I had rich uncles," said Tsuge wistfully.

"Nice never came into it," Hiromi told them blandly. "Uncle Toto actually admitted they'd forgotten to get me a present, so this was why this was a last minute arrangement. One jack."

"Still," sighed Tsuge, "I wish I had rich forgetful uncles. It would be so cool to do this more often. Two tens."

"What, sit around and play cheat?" offered Machida. "Talking of which, cheat."

Tsuge grinned and flipped over the past two cards which were indeed two tens. "Nope."

"Damn." Machida took the pile into his hand, which was beginning to have trouble holding them all in. He peered at the new cards. "Hiromi, you cheated last turn," he added accusingly.

"Yep, but since you didn't say cheat, I'm free."

Machida rolled his dark eyes and – after a short while reorganising his cards – placed down three queens. "Anyway, I don't know about doing this more often – how many old castles do you know of that we can easily visit?"

"Hey, it was just a suggestion."

"One king; I'm out," said Haru with a grin.

The rest of the table groaned. Then Hiromi added, "Let's play to see who comes last."

Machida made a face and held up his cards. "Hm, I wonder who that would be..."

Haru laughed and got up from her place on the sofa, walking out of the lounge. "I'm going to make myself a cup of tea while you finish – anyone else want one too?"

"Yes please."

"Yeah."

"Can I have a hot chocolate?"

The brunette laughed again. "Sure, Hiromi, but you're going to have to be patient while I dig out the jar somewhere – it's probably at the bottom of the food bags, knowing my luck."

"You're a charm, Haru."

"Thanks."

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Yep, there's a Lion King reference. But it is such a great line, I couldn't resist.**


	3. Settling In

Chapter 3: Settling In

"Come on, come on," Haru muttered to herself, half her head already inside the food bag. She reached inside for the jar of hot chocolate that was just out of reach, glowering to herself as her fingers only scraped the edge. "Come on, already."

Her fingers tickled the side and eventually curled round it and brought it out of the depths of the bag. "Got you. Pesky thing," she muttered to herself.

There was a whoop from the living room.

"I guess that's the game finished then," she murmured, filling up the kettle automatically. She peered round. "Deal me a hand, won't you?" she called.

"Okay!"

She returned to the task at hand; taking out four mugs and three teabags to accompany them, and spooning out several dollops of hot chocolate powder for Hiromi's drink.

"Milk, milk, milk," she murmured to herself, heading round to the fridge with her words. "And sugar. That's a point." She peered round into the lounge again. "Who wants milk and sugar?"

"Me. One and a half teaspoons, please."

"I'll just have milk."

"I'll have milk and marshmallows."

Haru laughed. "Right, Hiromi, you just run along down to the village and get some marshmallows then, why don't you?"

"Hm, on second thoughts, skip the marshmallows."

Haru just grinned to herself and collected the milk. As she returned to the kettle, there was a flicker in the window, a movement so brief that Haru could almost pass it away just as a figment of her imagination. Almost. She stood staring out of the window, but could only see darkness. She was about to shake it off as nothing when a pitiful mewing came from the back door.

Ignoring the whistling of the kettle that showed it had almost boiled, Haru placed the milk on the side and slowly opened the back door; her relief becoming visible when it was only a small white kitten that entered.

"Oh my," Haru sighed, "I guess the setting really must be getting to me. And I thought you were a ghost." She chuckled and swept the kitten up into her arms. "Now, we can't have you freezing out here, can we? Not with it being–" she glanced to the thermometer "–minus five out there. I'll get you some milk at the very least." True to her word, she poured some into a bowl and set it down on the floor. "I don't know what the rest will think of you, but I don't know where you came from." Kneeling down, Haru checked the kitten for a collar. "Well, you haven't got a collar or anything. Maybe you're a stray. But what you're doing out here in the middle of nowhere is beyond me."

She scratched the cat behind the ears, earning an adorable purr.

"Hey Haru, have you lost your way between the kitchen and the lounge?" Hiromi called. "We're waiting for you to return so we can start the game."

Haru sighed, gave the kitten one last stroke, then stood up. "Sorry, but we have a guest."

Suddenly Hiromi was in the kitchen. "Really? Where? _Aw_..." The lighter brunette had spotted the cat. "She is just _adorable_... Hey, guys, come and see the kitten Haru's found!"

"How do you know it's a she?" Tsuge asked when he arrived.

"It's adorable – so obviously it's a she," reasoned Hiromi with her usual amount of impeccable logic.

"Where do you think she came from?" Machida asked, not bothering to pursue the topic of the cat's gender any further. "The nearest other settlement is the farm and even that's a good fifteen minutes away."

"I think she's a stray–"

"Surviving on what?"

"I don't know... scraps?"

"Well she's here now," said Haru decisively. "We can hardly just leave her out in the cold, can we?"

There was a general muttering of "Nope" around the kitchen to that.

Haru filled up the mugs and handed out the drinks. "Who only wanted milk in their tea?"

"That was me."

"That leaves the milk and sugar for you, and the hot chocolate for you." Haru picked up her own drink. "Shall we return to the game; I'm sure the cat isn't going to do any damage."

Hiromi grinned and leaned in to the cat. "Yeah, behave 'cause the ghost is watching you."

Her friend laughed and dragged her into the lounge. "Honestly, you're as bad as your uncles. You're obsessed with this ghost business."

"Do you think they believe it though? Your uncles, I mean?" Tsuge asked.

"Oh, not this again."

Hiromi stirred her hot chocolate thoughtfully. "I don't know. As I've said – usually they're up to no good. But this..." She shook her head. "I just don't know what to make of it."

"I still reckon they're just leading us on," Haru muttered into the depths of her tea. "I wouldn't trust them any further than I could throw them. And that's not very far when you take into account your uncle's girth."

"Why? Don't you believe in ghosts?"

"Why should I? Anyway, the fact that your uncles have told us about this apparent ghost makes me even less likely to believe in this "baron"." Haru looked down and realised the rest were waiting for her to place down a card. "Oh, two nines."

"But wouldn't it be fun if there was a ghost here?" persisted Hiromi. "One ten. I mean, it would be an adventure and a half."

Haru laughed. "I'm sorry, but I expect the only ghosts we'll stumble across will be the ones our minds invent."

"Ever the sceptic."

"Trust me, if we start getting excited about this, we're going to spend the entire two weeks jumping at shadows."

ooOoo

"I call the bed!" Hiromi jumped onto the springs of the mattress, dumping her bags down as she claimed it for her own.

Haru, who was still climbing the stairs, groaned. "Don't I get a say?"

"Oh... okay, I'll have it the first week, second week you can have it."

"That's very gracious of you," Haru said flatly. She dumped her bag and sleeping bag on the floor. "I'll get a mat from the closet then; I think your uncles mentioned they had some round here." Haru returned down to the first floor and after ten or more minutes came back up with a mat under her arm.

"What took you so long?"

Haru dropped the mat to the floor, then followed to sit beside it. "Found the closet, but when I tried to take one out, they all fell out. I've just spent the last ten minutes trying to put them all back. I see you're all set," she added, seeing Hiromi already had the bed sorted.

"Yeah, sorry."

Haru picked up the mat and pulled it out from its case and rolled it out onto the floor. It turned out to be an inflatable one, so then she spent the next five minutes blowing it up.

"Do you think the boys have set up their room?"

Haru, using up all her breath to blow the mat, only shrugged. She was beginning to feel light-headed.

Hiromi paused as she contemplated her own question, before firing another one at Haru.

"You know, with a castle this size, you'd think there'd be a room with two beds somewhere."

Haru pinched the end shut as she finished her job. "The only ones are double beds. Anyway," she added, clambering onto the mat, "it feels like a sort of elaborate sleepover like this."

"Oh. I suppose. Shame we couldn't be closer to the boys."

Haru laughed. "Hiromi, if we'd been sleeping anywhere closer to the boys, my mother would never have let me come."

"They're halfway across the castle..."

"Just as well really, otherwise we'd probably be able to hear them snoring."

The room the two girls had chosen for their own was on the second floor, in one of the tower turrets. The tower was large enough for one moderately large bedroom, but to get there, one had to climb two sets of stairs from the ground floor, and this made the room feel very separate from the rest of the building. The boys were on the first floor, in a room at the other end of the castle.

"Are you sure you're okay on that?" Hiromi asked after a moment, looking over at Haru scrambling into her sleeping bag. Guilt tinged her features.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"There are other bedrooms..."

Again, Haru laughed. "Do you really think I'm going to sleep in a room all by myself? I may not think this place is haunted, but all the same it'll be a little too spooky with just me."

There was a knock at the door, making both girls jump.

"Are you two decent?" Tsuge called.

"Yeah we're fine."

Tsuge poked his head inside. "We're down in the lounge – Machida's got the DVD player and TV working. And he's got a few spooky movies and all. Want a movie night?"

"That's the last thing we need," scoffed Haru.

"The setting is just perfect though," Hiromi mused. "And it would be a waste not to."

"Thanks for the backup," said Haru bluntly.

"Oh, come on. Where's your sense of fun?"

The darker brunette sighed, but gave in. "Okay, but don't blame me when we're all jumping at our shadows..."

Hiromi squealed. "Good. Tsuge, we're going to get into our pyjamas and brush our teeth and everything; we'll meet you downstairs in ten minutes or so."

The boy grinned and his footsteps could be heard echoing down the stairs.

Haru turned to her friend. "Do you really think that was a wise idea? I mean, I wasn't joking about us all jumping at nothing."

Hiromi just waved it all away. "We'll be fine."

Haru huffed. "I wish I had your confidence."

ooOoo

"Hurry up with the popcorn!"

"Okay, okay, keep your hair on," Hiromi called out to the boys. "It'll be done when it's done. Or would you rather we had it cold and un-popped?" She smiled to herself when there came no reply. "That'll keep them quiet. Honestly. _Boys_."

Haru was pouring out some cold drinks. "I'm _still_ not sure about this..."

"Oh, relax, would you? It's just a movie."

"Yes, well I know it's just a movie, but all the same..."

"Have you ever watched a horror movie, Haru?" Hiromi asked frankly after a moment.

"Not really..."

"Well it's Machida's film – he says it's fine."

"Oh." That made her hesitate. She didn't want to seem like a wimp... especially in front of Machida.

"Look, take a pillow or something and hid behind it if you're that bothered," Hiromi sighed.

"I think I might need to borrow some earplugs as well if I'm going to hide from the movie."

"Why earplugs?"

"For the spooky music and screaming, of course."

Hiromi paused. "Oh." She turned to the pan and peered under the lid, where the popcorn had quietened down. "Hm, I think this is done. Hand me the bowl, Haru." She scooped the contents into the bowl Haru was offering. "Okay, now we can start this film."

Haru sighed and watched as Hiromi entered the lounge. She glanced over to the white kitten which was still in the kitchen. "What do you think of horror movies, cat?"

The feline meowed.

Haru laughed. "Yeah, I'd have to agree with you there. I don't suppose you want to join us?"

After a moment hesitation, the cat clawed its way onto Haru's shoulder.

"I'll take that as a yes then. But don't blame me if you get scared."

The cat just rubbed her shoulder affectionately.

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Thanks guys, for all the brilliant comments for last chapter - this fandom is _incredibly_ supportive and has always been so kind and free with your lovely reviews and words. You've listened/read all my (often rambling) ANs and replied to them with not a single complaint. So thank you. You are an amazing lot and you make writing for TCR fandom a real joy.**

**And, in response to _The Count Luca van Andrews_' review, which I can't reply to due to the fact that they weren't logged in: No, they're not.**

**Catsafari. =^^=**


	4. Jumping at Shadows

Chapter 4: Jumping at Shadows

"I still don't get the plot."

Tsuge sighed and leant over to his girlfriend. "Well, that guy–"

"The dark haired one?"

"No, the other one."

"Okay."

"Yes, well _his_ brother–"

"Is that the dark-haired one?"

"No. His brother is the ghost–"

Haru leant forward, moving out from behind her pillow. "When did it say that?"

"At the start, during the flashback."

"Would you guys keep it down?" demanded Machida. "You're butchering the atmosphere."

Haru grumbled into her pillow red-faced something about the atmosphere being overrated anyway, but squealed as something in the background of the movie stirred – the mirror moved and something flickered.

Machida huffed. "Honestly, it's not even that scary yet."

Haru now had the pillow in front of her face. If she gave a reply, the pillow muffled it out completely.

In another room, the phone gave a piercing ring and this time all four teenagers on the sofa jumped. It was Hiromi's turn to give a little scream.

"I'll answer it," shouted Haru, glad for any reason to abandon the film. The kitten jumped back into her arms, appearing to agree with her.

"We could pause the film for you..." offered Hiromi.

"No – no... I'm fine," said Haru and she rushed into the hallway.

Haru picked up the phone and – after a moment's hesitation – held it up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"_Haru? Oh it is you_."

Haru sighed, hoping her relief wasn't audible. "Hi mum." Secretly she'd been expecting something worse, considering the setting.

"_So... how is the castle_?"

"It's... good. It's good," she repeated with more confidence this time. "Old and rickety and rather spooky, but good."

There was a scream from the lounge.

"_What's that_?"

Haru laughed nervously, glancing down towards the lounge. "Nothing, mum. We're just in the middle of watching a film."

"_Oh. Shall I leave you to it then_?"

"Oh, don't worry." Haru chuckled quietly. "I don't think I'm missing much."

"_I'm just checking to see that everything's alright; everything __**is**__ alright, isn't it_?"

"Of course it is." She glanced around and this time saw a silhouette enter the kitchen. She sighed and covered the mouthpiece of the phone. "Tsuge... Machida... whoever; stay out of the kitchen right? I haven't finished packing everything away yet." She rolled her eyes. "_Boys_." She uncovered the mouthpiece. "Anyway, yeah, we got here fine. We met Hiromi's uncles as well – they came to check on us."

"_They're the ones allowing you to stay there, right_?"

"Yep. They're nice... a little eccentric, but nice enough."

"_You did thank them for_–"

"I hardly got the chance," Haru interrupted. "They came and went so quickly. Anyhow, how are you doing? Enough about me, I want to hear how everything's going at home."

There was some light laughter from the other end of the line. "_Fine, fine. Everything's going as normal. A little boring in fact without you her_e."

Haru grinned. "Aw, you spoil me. Don't worry, it's only two weeks after all."

"_Yeah, two weeks which includes Christmas and New Year_."

Haru smiled ruefully this time. "Yeah... um, sorry about that. You'll be okay without me, right?" Her voice went tight suddenly. "What with Christmas just being the two of us usually..."

There was a pause. "_Yes, yes, I'll be fine. You... you have fun though. Don't worry about me_."

Haru hesitated. "Um, okay." There was another shout from the lounge. She sighed once again. "So I'll see you in a few weeks, okay?"

"_Yeah, will do. I'll phone you again, maybe tomorrow_?"

"That'll be good." Another scream from the lounge. "Okay, bye."

As she put down the phone she made her way to the kitchen. "Okay, whoever that was–" She stopped as she saw the kitchen was empty. Everything was still in its original place, or at least it appeared to be.

"O-kay..." she said slowly. "That's weird." She backtracked out of the room and peered around as if waiting for someone to jump out at her. "That's not funny guys." When no one replied she wandered over to the lounge and hung around the door.

"Okay, which of you went into the kitchen?" she asked nervously. "I saw someone go in."

The three other teenagers glanced between each other. "Um, nope. We've stayed here."

Haru laughed, but this time her laugh was brittle. "That's not funny," she repeated, "because I saw you. While I was on the phone, someone walked in." She was pointing erratically at the other three.

"Haru, none of us have moved once since you left."

ooOoo

"But- but I swear... I saw someone," Haru maintained, ignoring the look she was receiving for her pains. "Look... while I was talking, someone went into the kitchen."

Hiromi sighed and passed her a cup of tea. She'd left the boys to finish watching the movie while they had returned to the kitchen to talk things over. "Haru, seriously, you must have just imagined it. You were the one saying we'd be jumping at shadows after watching the film."

Haru let her head fall onto the table. "I'm telling you..."

Hiromi patted her consolingly. "Hey, you were tired; you saw something that wasn't there."

"But..." Haru groaned and gave in. "Okay, okay, whatever. Yeah, I probably..." She wiped her eyes tiredly. "Yeah, I probably just imagined it. Whatever." She sipped from her mug; the tea fumes clearing her mind. "It's late and everything."

"Do you think you should head to bed?"

"I... uh, yeah maybe." Haru rubbed at her eyes again. "Tell the others... tell them goodnight from me." Haru finished the last dredges of her drink quickly and dumped it in the sink. "But please, when you go upstairs, try not to wake me."

Her friend laughed. "I'll try my best."

ooOoo

"I guess it must have been just a shadow," Haru murmured to herself as she slipped into her sleeping bag. "Urgh, everything must have really been getting to me." She reached up to switch off the light, but her hand wavered. The prospect of being on her own in the dark was not an alluring one.

There were some shouts and laughter from downstairs, but it was somewhat muffled by the two floors between them. Haru groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. "It's going to be a while before they settle down," she grumbled to herself. "Urgh, maybe I really should've brought along earplugs..."

Something white and furry clambered over to her. Haru jumped, then remembered the feline.

"Oh, hi kitty." She stroked the kitten, repressing a yawn. "It must be half eleven already – are you tired too?"

The cat meowed and buried its head against Haru's shoulder.

She gently laughed. "I'll take that as a yes." With the cat now at her side, Haru reached up and flicked the light off; now she had a companion, being in the dark was a lot less daunting.

"Night kitty."

ooOoo

Light filtered in from the window above her, dragging her slowly back into the land of the awake. With the realisation that she was waking up, Haru groaned and pulled her sleeping bag over her head. When, suddenly, the light was turned on, Haru flinched and visibly reclined further into the darkness of her sleeping bag.

"Turnthatlightoff," she grumbled incoherently.

She heard Hiromi sigh. "Haru, it's half ten already."

"I don't care; let me sleep."

"Everyone else is up..."

"Good for them."

"And I'm about to start cooking breakfast."

Despite herself, Haru twitched underneath her covers. "Breakfast?"

"Uh-hm. _Cooked_ breakfast."

Haru stirred. "Oh... okay, I'll join you in a few minutes."

Hiromi chuckled. "When half an hour has passed, we'll just assume you've fallen asleep again."

"Your faith in me is touching," Haru mumbled flatly, but other than that she didn't move. After a moment she heard Hiromi's footsteps fading as they retreated down the stairs. A white paw padded at Haru's shoulder.

"Not now, kitty, I'm sleeping."

The prodding persisted. Haru groaned and peeked out from under the covers. "I said I was going to get up in a few minutes," she said in a hurt voice. "Don't you believe me?"

The cat meowed.

"Uh-hm. Yeah, okay, now let me sleep," Haru responded. She looked over at the cat again. "I suppose we really should give you some other name apart from just "kitty"." She stroked between the feline's ears. "I wonder where you came from though. What are you doing in the middle of nowhere?"

Once again her question was unanswered, not that Haru had been expecting one. Eventually she gave up ignoring the kitten's prods and got up, grabbing her dressing gown and groggily heading downstairs, allowing the cat to ride on her shoulder.

"Ah, so our sleeping beauty is finally up," teased Hiromi on seeing Haru enter.

Haru just stifled a yawn. "You've made that joke before."

"Have I?"

"Yep." Haru looked over Hiromi's shoulder. "Is that bacon I see?"

"Yes. But only for early birds."

"Why you–!"

Machida entered just as a mock-fight was due to start. "Are you two going to bicker or are we going to have breakfast?" he asked, picking up a bowl from the cupboard. "I see you're finally up," he added to Haru and headed back into the dining room.

Haru immediately went red just as the boy left.

Hiromi passed her a bowl. "You look like a beetroot," she commented flatly.

Haru's blush intensified. "Do you think he noticed?"

"Haru, I think even the _cat_ noticed."

"Oh dear."

"Don't worry; I think he already knew anyway."

Haru put her bowl down and groaned. "He does?"

"Hey, he may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's not _blind_."

"You're not helping."

The lighter brunette simply laughed. "I know. Here, can you take this?" She slipped the bacon onto a plate and brandished it before Haru. "Take it into the dining room."

"You forgot the magic word."

Hiromi smiled sweetly. "Please, pretty please, O best friend of mine."

Despite herself, Haru also laughed. "Okay then, since you asked so nicely." She balanced the plate on one hand while taking her bowl with the other. "What are you taking in?"

"I'm doing the drinks." Hiromi tapped Haru on the head with the blunt end of a wooden spoon. "And _who_ was the one who got up early to organise breakfast? I was. I don't think I'm overloading you with work."

Haru watched as the plate balanced precariously under her control. "You say that now," she muttered to herself. She attempted to open the door with her elbow, almost dropping the plate in the process. "Hey, can someone open the door?" she called through to the dining room. She juggled the plate and bowl between her hands. "Sometime soon, please."

The handle finally moved down and the door swung lazily open.

"Thank you."

She walked through to see both Machida and Tsuge still half in their seats. She froze.

"Please tell me one of you opened that door."

The two boys glanced at each other, confused. "We assumed you opened it."

"How?" Haru reminded them, and somehow managed to gesture to the crockery she was balancing. "I haven't got a spare hand."

"Well..."

Hiromi walked into the back of Haru, holding three glasses and almost dropped them. "Hey, are you going to dilly-dally while the food gets cold, or are we going to eat?"

Haru glanced once again at the door.

Hiromi noticed. "Is everything okay?"

"Um... yeah. Everything's fine." Haru faked a smile and placed the bacon on the table. "Yeah, everything's fine," she repeated with increased firmness. "The door... the door was just left ajar, that was all."

Hiromi laughed and took her seat next to Tsuge, leaving the only spare one next to Machida. "Or maybe it's the ghost..." she gasped in a stage whisper, saying the last word in a purposely sing-song voice.

"Or maybe you're just being superstitious."

"What? Saying it's the ghost is much more fun that giving it a rational explanation."

Haru grimaced, then paused when she saw where the other spare seat was. After a moment's hesitation, she sat beside Machida.

"Beetroot," Hiromi mouthed over at her.

Haru rolled her eyes, but all the same was aware of the blush beginning to form. However she spared one last glance to the door, as if it could give any answers.

But the door did not move.

**ooOoo**

**A/N: For the majority of this month, I am entering exam mode _(major_ exam mode). So reviews/replies/etc are going to be even _thinner_ on the ground than before (if that's even possible). Updates will still go ahead in the usual routine (or thereabouts) so please, still review; your reviews brighten my day and leave me smiing in this stressful, annoying-gloomy month. (In the UK, summer consists of a few warm days; the past week and the Jubilee have been mostly rain and windy days, so I need all the smiles I can get!)**

**Many thanks,**

**Catsafari. =^^=**


	5. Things that go Bump in the Night

Chapter 5: Things that go Bump in the Night

Haru peered through the gap in the curtains, watching – once again – the snow fall slowly down. Despite the flurry of white, the moon could still be seen shining through.

"It's still snowing," Haru said quietly. She let the curtains fall closed. "If it goes on like this all night we're going to be snowed in by tomorrow."

Tsuge looked up from where he was setting up the fire. "The forecast says it should stop soon though."

Haru couldn't stop a laugh. "Yeah, but when was the last time it was right?"

"Still, you shouldn't worry. The house is well stocked so if we do get snowed in we should survive."

"Hopefully it won't come to that though." Haru wandered over to him, glancing down at the still fire-less fireplace. "Do you need help with that?"

"Nope, I'm fine."

"Really? So you won't be needing any of these then..." Haru picked up a packet of firelighters from the shelf.

"Ah... well, I wouldn't exactly say that..." Tsuge added hurriedly, half reaching for the firelighters. For a moment it seemed Haru wasn't going to pass them over, but then she grinned and dropped them into his hands. "Thank you."

"You _did_ remember matches, right?" she teased.

"Uh-hm, yeah. I _think_ I remembered the matches." Tsuge grinned.

Hiromi dumped a bowl of marshmallows on the table. "Hey, stop flirting with my boyfriend."

"I-I- I was not–!"

Hiromi laughed. "_Relax, _Haru; I'm only pulling your leg. I know for a fact you haven't got your eye on him."

Haru only half laughed. "Funny," she replied through gritted teeth. "Real funny."

"Don't worry, Machida isn't in earsho–"

The darker brunette shoved her friend in what almost appeared to be playful manner. "_Thank you_, Hiromi."

"_Girls_," chided Tsuge. "Play nicely."

"Yeah, yeah, we know. Hey, Haru, are you going to join in tonight?"

"With what?"

"'With what?'" Hiromi repeated incredulously. "Haru, have you had your head in the clouds or something?"

Haru thought back to the mystery of the door and the shadow. It was true; she hadn't been all there since then. But she had just dismissed them as nothing more than her imagination... hadn't she?

"You're drifting off again," Hiromi commented.

"I... er, sorry. So what's on tonight's agenda?"

"Fire, toasting marshmallows, hot chocolate and – oh, telling ghost stories!"

"What is it about you and ghosts?" Haru muttered to herself. Hiromi also seemed to have forgotten that they had forgotten to bring along marshmallows; she suspected she would remember sooner or later. Most probably later.

"Aw come on, it'll be fun!"

"Uh-hm, fun," Haru echoed.

"Oh... you're not still worried about the ghost, are you?"

Haru snorted. "Hiromi, there is _no_ ghost. Your uncles just made up that story to scare us." She looked away. "No one comes back from the grave," she added in a subdued voice.

ooOoo

"Someone else ask it a question."

"Okay. Will Hiromi ever get married?" Tsuge grinned and turned the magic 8 ball around.

REPLY HAZY, TRY AGAIN.

Hiromi squealed and tried to snatch it off him. "Hey, no fair. Ask about yourself!"

"Okay, okay. Will _I_ ever get married?"

VERY DOUBTFUL.

Hiromi keeled over laughing. She finally managed to retrieve the black ball. "My turn. Um..."

"It's such a kid's game," Machida grumbled from the side. "It's not like it'll ever give the right answer."

Hiromi stuck out her tongue at him and turned back to the ball. "Will Machida ever grow up?"

Machida started protesting.

DON'T COUNT ON IT, was the ball's reply.

"Does it ever give positive answers?" Haru noted.

"I'll ask it. Do you ever give positive answers?"

IT IS CERTAIN.

"Well that's an oxymoron in itself."

"No, a more appropriate oxymoron would be more like if we asked if it ever gives negative answers and then it says yes."

"Oh, okay, okay, Miss Grammar-Queen."

"I don't think this is a matter of grammar..."

"Whatever. You know what I mean."

Tsuge took back the ball and tossed it to Machida. "Your turn."

Machida reluctantly caught it. He grumbled again under his breath something about it being a child's game, but asked it a question all the same. "Will _Hiromi_ ever grow up?"

CONCENTRATE AND ASK AGAIN.

"I said, will Hiromi ever grow up?"

CONCENTRATE AND ASK AGAIN.

"Haru's turn," cried Hiromi, stealing it off him.

"Hey, I haven't even got an answer yet."

"Too bad. Haru, ask it something."

"Um, okay. Does the ghost exist?"

YES – DEFINITELY.

The others laughed. "Looks like you've been proven wrong, Haru."

"Not yet. Let me try again. Does the ghost exist?"

WITHOUT A DOUBT.

"Does the ghost exist?" Haru stressed.

IT IS CERTAIN.

"That's just weird."

"You're cursed, Haru!"

"Thanks, Hiromi."

"Let's try another question. Is the ghost in the castle?"

YES.

"Is it in this room?"

"Hey, that's two questions–"

WITHOUT A DOUBT.

Hiromi screeched. "Where?"

"Hiromi, that's not a yes-or-no question."

BEHIND YOU.

Hiromi jumped over to the others. "Oh my... Look at this!"

"It's gone blank again Hiromi."

"But-but..."

"Now who's jumping at shadows?" Haru laughed.

"But I swear..."

Haru couldn't resist laughing; the other day Hiromi had accused her of getting jumpy – now look at what had happened. "Maybe we shouldn't go on to tell ghost stories."

"No... no, everything's fine." In the hallway, the phone started ringing. Hiromi sighed. "That'll be one of our parents probably. I'll answer it." She passed the magic 8 ball over to Haru. "And Tsuge, put some more wood on the fire. It's going out."

"Yes, ma'am." Tsuge saluted playfully.

Haru looked down at the magic 8 ball.

SHE WASN'T IMAGINING THINGS.

Her pulse sped up, but she managed to hide any outward signs of her shock. She tensed further as the blunt typed words flowed into a curving calligraphy; some handwriting style that appeared almost old-fashioned. She glanced around then slowly rolled the ball over, then brought it back round again. Her muscles relaxed. The window was now blank.

Hiromi swung back into the lounge. "Hey, guess who's going to be coming round tomorrow – why, Haru, you look white as a sheet."

"D-Do I?" Haru laughed, but it wasn't entirely convincing. She tucked the magic 8 ball away. "I must be just getting tired. Anyway... you were saying before..."

"Ah, yes. Well, guess who's coming."

"You're going to tell us in a moment," Tsuge pointed out.

Hiromi smirked. "You haven't guessed yet."

Tsuge sighed. "Okay, well is it the queen?"

"Nope."

"The ghost?"

"Nope."

"Anne Hathaway?"

"I get the feeling you're not taking this seriously."

"Hm, I wonder what gives you that impression."

"You're being real encouraging," Hiromi said sarcastically. "No, my uncles are coming over."

"Again? Don't they trust us to keep the castle in one piece?"

"Uncle Muta made a comment about checking on the ghost... but actually they've offered to take us down to the village for a day trip. And to stock up on stuff."

"That's nice of them."

"Yes, well I think we should probably move on to the ghost stories now."

"Finally," said Machida.

Haru hesitated. "Um, I'm tired; I'm going to head to bed."

"Aw, are you really going to miss out?"

"Yes." Haru rubbed at her eyes. "It feels late, at least to me, and I'll be no fun if all I want to do is sleep."

"I suppose so... if you're sure..."

"I am. Good night everyone." A white ball of fur jumped onto her shoulder. "Are you coming too, kitty?"

The kitten meowed.

"That cat has really connected with you," Hiromi commented.

Haru laughed. "I feed her; that's all it is."

"Still, she _is_ adorable."

"Yes, a fact I'm sure she's aware of."

Hiromi picked up the magic 8 ball and tossed it to her. "Knock yourself out with that."

Haru managed to catch it, and couldn't stop herself from givingher friend a narrow glare. "I hope you mean that figuratively."

"Of course." Hiromi smiled sweetly.

ooOoo

Haru stared lazily at the magic 8 ball over the top of her book as she let it roll across the floor; the cat in hot pursuit.

"I'm glad one of us is having a good time," Haru commented eventually. "At least you're not seeing ghosts left, right and centre."

The kitten stopped and glanced up at her curiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are my ramblings putting you off?" She laughed and moved to stroke the cat, but froze when she saw that there was writing in the window of the ball. She turned it slowly around, but relaxed when the words were stereotypical of the magic 8 ball. She laughed again, lighter this time and to herself. "Paranoid," she noted. "I'm getting so paranoid." She picked up the ball and held it before her. "Am I getting paranoid?"

OUTLOOK NOT SO GOOD.

"Well that's helpful. In what way is it 'not so good'?" She sighed. "Wait, that's not a yes-or-no question." She gave the ball a doubtful look once again. "Is there a ghost?"

YES.

"I guess that was tempting fate. Okay, another question: is the ghost in this room?"

YES.

She groaned. "Thanks, because _that's_ going to help me sleep tonight."

YOU DID ASK.

Haru stared long and hard at the ball. It was once again in that old-fashioned handwriting. "Is the ghost talking through this?"

YES.

"Okay." She forced herself to keep hold of it. "Are you... I mean... do you mean any of us any harm?"

DEFINITELY NOT.

"Well that's good. Do you mind us being here?"

NO.

"Were you that shadow I saw yesterday?"

YES.

"Why were you going to the kitchen?" Haru asked after a moment. After all, ghosts don't need to eat... do they?

The ball didn't respond immediately. In fact, if Haru didn't know any better, Haru would've guessed that there was an air of slight embarrassment.

I WAS CHECKING EVERYTHING WAS IN PLACE.

"Why? What do you have in the kitchen? What could a ghost possibly have in the kitchen?" she added in thought.

Again, there was a slight delay in the response.

TEA.

"Tea?" Haru repeated incredulously.

I WAS NOT EXPECTING TO BE SEEN.

"Oh." She laughed slightly at the ridiculousness of her situation. "Do you make tea?"

MY OWN BLEND.

"In all seriousness?"

IN ALL SERIOUSNESS.

"Oh, okay." She yawned as tiredness struck and sank back into her pillows. "Goodnight ghost."

ooOoo

"Hm, for once it seems the forecast was right." Tsuge closed the window after dusting a light layer of snow off the sill. "A little bit of snow, but nothing serious."

Haru shivered as she leant against the oven, pulling her dressing gown close around her. "It's due to snow later today though." She sneezed and sipped tiredly at her tea.

Hiromi entered, as full of bounce as always, and started rifling through the cupboards. "Where are the mugs?"

Haru gestured to the one to her right. "There."

"Thanks."

Haru sneezed again and sniffled slightly.

"Hey, are you coming down with something?"

"I don't know." She shivered again. "I might be. I said I was feeling tired the other day."

Hiromi found a mug and flicked the kettle on. "Are you just tired maybe?"

"I don't think so. I feel blocked up and I've got a stomach-ache coming on."

"You _sound_ blocked up."

Haru laughed, but it was unavoidably hoarse. "Yeah, I can't help that."

"You should try hot water and honey."

"I'll remember that."

The doorbell rang. "Shoot, that'll be Uncle Toto and Uncle Muta." She dumped the mug on the side. "I'll let them in."

"Okay." Haru moved and allowed herself to fall into a chair; the tea still in hand. Despite her decision to retire to bed early last night, the previous evening was still a blur. She found herself believing that the events from last night – the magic 8 ball and the unorthodox answers – were all a result of her imagination; she had been tired, her mind had been playing tricks on her. Somehow, although she could not fully bring herself to believe it, she was able to push the matter into the back of her mind.

She chuckled silently to herself.

Ghosts?

She grinned.

Impossible.


	6. The Face in the Window

Chapter 6: The Face in the Window

"So how's my favourite niece?"

"I'm your only niece."

Across the castle, Haru still heard their exchange. It seemed this conversation was a repeated one. Haru didn't listen to his reply, but it seemed Hiromi invited them in, because suddenly the two uncles were in the kitchen, making themselves at home. Haru moved away to allow the larger of the two access to the fridge.

"Uncle Muta, don't raid the kitchen," Hiromi ordered as she followed her uncles in. "We've only got a limited amount of food here."

"Hey, who's allowing you to stay here?"

"It was Uncle Toto's decision as well."

"Fine. He can have the other half of the fridge."

"Renaldo!" This was the other uncle.

"Fine. You can have whatever remains of the tea as well. Personally, I don't touch the stuff."

"Pig."

Hiromi seemed to sense the potential for a fight to break out, for suddenly she was standing between the two men. "Hey, we've just got the kitchen all tidied up; if you're going to fight, do it outside please."

"And now you sound like our mother," the larger uncle grunted, but admittedly he did back down.

"Good. It's one way of keeping you under control."

Haru finished the remains of her tea and set it on the side. "Mr Moon..." she started cautiously.

"Yes?" both men responded.

"What exactly is the story behind this... ghost?"

The one called Renaldo laughed. "So do you believe in it now, Chicky?"

Haru looked flustered. "I'm just curious. You said last time that it was a regular Romeo and Juliet story."

"Well–"

The other uncle coughed slightly to attract Renaldo's attention, then gave him a look that could be taken as a warning. "Don't go overboard."

This seemed a strange warning – after all, the "ghost" was only a story... wasn't it? But still the larger uncle growled slightly at his brother. "Of course not; what do you take me for?" He turned to the four adolescents, now purposely ignoring his brother. "Well, story goes that the ghost was a young baron when he died. He fell in love with a lady from another kingdom–"

"Wait – another kingdom?" interrupted Hiromi. "What other kingdom; there isn't another–"

"It's how these stories go," the man retorted irritably.

"How long ago did this happen?"

"Once upon a time," he growled.

"That's a stupid response."

"Ask a stupid question..."

"It wasn't stupid!"

"It's a story; it's not meant to have a time period – that's what makes it timeless."

A smile was spreading over the other uncle's face. "She _does_ have a point, Muta."

"Oh, shut it, birdbrain."

"Lard ball."

"Can you please continue the story?" cut in Haru, surprised that she was finding herself interrupting their argument without thinking about it.

"Where was I?"

"Lady from another kingdom."

"Ah, yes. Well, he fell in love with a lady from... well, he fell in love with a lady and her family didn't approve of him–" he glared at Hiromi, as if daring her to interrupt him again. She just smiled sweetly. "Their families were bitter rivals. And, well he and the lady met in secret several times but eventually their relationship was discovered and when challenged, they made their intention to marry known. The lady's family wouldn't stand for that, wouldn't stand for it at all, and after several attempts to split them up, the brother and the father of the lady went to the extreme of going to the baron's home – here – and murdered him in his own home."

"Where was he murdered?" Hiromi asked excitedly, as if expecting the body to fall out of nowhere. "Which room in the house?"

Both uncles hesitated. "Well, we don't know."

"Was the body ever found?" Haru asked quietly, thinking of the shadow she'd seen previously. She glanced past the two men, to the snow-capped garden beyond the window.

They glanced between each other; an element of seriousness now present. "No."

Hiromi wasn't picking up Haru's unnerved tone. "Have you seen the ghost, Uncle Muta?"

As if shrugging off the momentary sense of sincerity, he grinned. "Of course I have. How could I not have; I own the place."

"What does he look like?"

"Well, he's about this tall–" he brought his hand up above Haru's head and a little below his own height "–and is seen in a pale suit, usually with a top hat too. He has... um, I'd say about tawny-coloured hair and his eyes..."

"Are green," Haru said suddenly.

The man looked down at the girl in confusion. "Yes, how did you–"

"Really, _really_ green," she continued hollowly. Her gaze was no longer focused on anyone in the room, but on the window. But, by the way she looked, she seemed focused on more than just the landscape beyond. Her complexion had gone a shade paler; her eyes a tad wider.

Hiromi spun around, but the window held no answers. The snow was still falling – just as before. The garden was still empty – just as before. The only abnormality was Haru's behaviour. "Haru…" she started slowly.

"Hey, Chicky, wake up!"

Haru jumped. She blinked several times and after a moment, turned to the other occupants of the kitchen.

"Did you see him?" she asked tightly.

"Who, Haru?"

The darker brunette could tell that her friend was bewildered and was quite possibly classing her as "losing it" currently, but she couldn't bring herself to worry about that just yet. "Him… the one…" Her mouth opened and closed several times without a word passing her lips. She gestured to the empty window, desperate for them to understand; to see. "The one… in the window…"

"Haru, there was no one in the window," Hiromi said carefully.

The two uncles seemed to have lost their humour. "What did he look like?" Toto asked quietly. There was a seriousness in his tone that they hadn't heard before.

"He was… just like you described. But he wasn't in the garden… he was _in_ the window… _on_ the window… like part of the glass–"

Hiromi placed a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry for this," she apologised. "Haru's been feeling under the weather for a while now; maybe it's a fever or something. It wouldn't be the first time she's jumped at shadows."

Haru tried to protest. "I have not been–"

"You've been jumping at shadows ever since we've arrived."

"_I _was the one who said I didn't believe in ghosts."

"_You're_ the one who said you saw someone enter the kitchen."

Suddenly the other uncle chuckled, slowly returning to normal. "That sounds like Baron," he said. "He's quite fond of the kitchen. Do you know he–"

"Makes his own blend of tea," Haru finished curtly. "Yes, I do."

Now both the men were staring at her. "How do you–"

Haru didn't have a ready answer to that. Not one that wouldn't proclaim her mad anyway.

"She must have just guessed lucky," offered Hiromi, but even she looked slightly unsure of herself. "Or maybe you've told the story before. It wouldn't be the first time you've repeated yourself."

"Yes… that must've been it." Still he was giving Haru a funny look. Then he shook it away. "So are we going to town or not?" he demanded in his usual tone. "We can't just natter here all day."

Everyone seemed to remember why the two men had arrived in the first place at this and suddenly Hiromi had returned to her whirlwind pace, fussing animatedly about getting everything ready and making sure the house was locked up and a whole load of other details that Haru failed to take in.

"I don't think I'll go."

Hiromi stopped. "What?"

Haru accidently sneezed. "I said I don't think I'll go. Maybe you're right; maybe this is a fever or something. Whatever it is, I certainly feel under the weather–"

"But you have to go!"

"Will you be okay in this house alone?" Tsuge asked, ignoring his girlfriend's protests. "I mean, wouldn't it seem a little bit big to be on your own here?"

"I'll be fine – anyway, the last thing I need is to go out into the snow like this. If anything it'll only worsen it. Anyhow, I'm not alone – I've got the kitten here."

"Yuki?"

They turned to the uncles.

"There's a stray that wanders around the castle, we call her Yuki," Toto explained. "She's always been around – she sort of came with the place."

"How does she survive? There's no one here to feed her."

"She gets by, somehow. Usually the lodgers here end up feeding her, but I don't know how she survives when the castle is empty. We haven't tried to work it out."

"You said she came with the place…?"

"Yes – in fact, when we first bought the place, the previous owner told us about her. Said she'd been there for as long as he could remember." He scoffed. "Of course, that can't be true – that would make her much older than any cat should be – older than us. I suppose there must just be a family of white cats or something. Anyway, don't worry if you see her around. She's friendly."

"So we've discovered."

Hiromi returned to face her friend. "So are you coming into the village with us?"

"I've already said; no."

"But–"

"Hiromi, I really don't think I'll be able to manage it. I'll just lag behind."

Hiromi opened her mouth to object, but Tsuge cut in. "She has a point. Come on, she'll be fine."

Haru sent a grateful look over to the boy.

"I… oh, okay. But be careful!"

"You're leaving me alone in the middle of winter in a rickety old castle rumoured by the locals to be haunted." Haru smiled brightly. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"Don't get me started."

Haru grinned. "Okay, I won't."

"Maybe we should be going," said Tsuge. He turned to Haru. "Are you going to see us off?"

She nodded and they started to file out of the kitchen. However, Haru paused one moment to glance back to that window. Her eyes searched it for any possible explanation – but she found none. None that didn't involve the ghost being real anyhow. And, right now, even she couldn't pass it off as a figment of her imagination. It had been too real – too solid – to be that. And, maybe in time, she would be able to tell herself it had been nothing, but just not right now. If it had only been her eyes deceiving her, then why was her heart still pounding?

She sighed, closing her eyes as she attempted to slow the pounding of blood in her ears. As she did so, the image of that face came to mind – uncalled for, but it came all the same. His eyes were the most startling part of all – green, just like she'd said – but she remembered his smile too. She opened her eyes. If she looked to the window again she could still, in her mind's eye, see the face there. Pale and ghostly, yet all too real, smiling out at her like before.

"I didn't imagine it," she whispered to herself.

Saying it somehow made it real; it discarded the idea that it had been nothing.

Maybe the castle really was haunted.

"Hey, Haru, are you going to see us off?"

That was Hiromi. Haru broke from her contemplative state and started towards the door. "Of course."

She heard her friend laugh. "You haven't seen another ghost, have you?"

Haru forced a laugh as she came to the end of the hallway and leant casually in the open door. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nah, it's way too much fun."

"Some friend you are." Haru shivered as her breath came out in frigid gasps, misty air steaming as she exhaled. She watched as her friends made themselves comfy in the car. "Hey, be careful!" she shouted. "The snow doesn't look like it's going to be stopping any time soon!"

"We'll be fine."

One of the uncles – the larger one – suddenly jumped out and ran back towards the house. Haru chuckled, but her shivers made the laugh shake.

"What have you forgotten?"

"Coat," he replied shortly and disappeared down the hallway.

She laughed again, but began to wish they would just hurry up and go. She hadn't thought to put any slippers on and now her feet were beginning to go blue as the cold really started to bite. As the man returned – now grasping said coat – he pause by the phone and scribbled something down on a piece of paper.

"Here's our number – just in case the weather does take a turn for the worst."

"Thanks."

Just before he crossed the threshold, he paused once again. "And, Chicky?"

She assumed he meant her. "Yeah?"

"You have seen the ghost, haven't you?" Again, the serious tone was back. It unnerved her slightly; she hadn't thought he was capable of being serious.

"I-I don't know what you–"

"Fine, play dumb with me," he retorted in a stressed whisper. "But you have seen him, haven't you? Even if you won't admit it to the others, you can't hide it. Listen, he is real. He does exist."

"I…"

"Birdbrain thought it would be best if you knew – the others think it's just a story, but you know better now. For whatever reason, Baron's letting you see him. I don't know why or whether it was just a mistake, but remember, he won't hurt you. He's not like that."

The car's horn began honking impatiently.

"That's my cue." He leant out and shouted out to the occupants of the car, "Alright, alright, I'm coming! Keep your hair on."

He started to go, but he turned back one last time. "Oh, and one last thing."

"Yes?"

"Trust him."


	7. Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 7: Behind Closed Doors

Haru returned to the kitchen, more confused than ever. The white kitten – Yuki, as Haru had discovered she was called – was sitting on the table and so she started stroking it, sinking into her thoughts as she did so.

"Do you think he actually meant that?" Haru murmured. "I mean about the ghost. Hiromi told me to never take anything he says seriously, so maybe this is all an elaborate joke."

The kitten meowed.

Haru laughed as if she could understand her. "Yes, I suppose it is all a little over-the-top even for their standards. But… it's just so…"

Yuki meowed again.

"Yes, that's what I'd say." Haru sighed and lowered herself into a chair. "You know, before all this, I would have automatically said that I was just imagining things. But… now? It's just becoming one thing after another. If it's not a shadow, it's the door opening by itself, and if it's not the door, it's the magic 8 ball… He – Hiromi's uncle – seemed to think that the ghost was allowing me to see him…" She laughed. "But that's just silly. Why would the ghost do that? It's not even like I'm anything special."

She sneezed. Again.

"Oh, damn this cold! This holiday is going to be no fun if I spend the entirety of it in bed." She looked down and saw she was still in her pyjamas. "Well, I suppose I should start the day. I'm going to get dressed; I'll be back in a moment."

Haru disappeared through the door and soon her footsteps could be heard ascending the two flights of stairs. Remaining where she was, Yuki turned her pale head to the corner beside the kettle. She let out a curious meow.

The shadows in the room seemed to gather and pick themselves up, slowly swirling together until the shape of a man could definitely be seen. A few more moments passed and then the same stranger Haru had seen in the window was standing there. He chuckled; the sound was undeniably solid.

"How did you know I was here?" he chuckled fondly to the cat. "I thought I was being very discreet."

He made no attempt to stroke her, or to make any contact at all. He just leant – or appeared to lean – against the kitchen cupboards as Yuki stared questioningly at him. But the kitten's gaze was one not of surprise at the ghost's appearance, but something quite different. Her gaze was questioning.

He returned a look of his own to her.

"What?"

The cat gave a short hiss.

From his expression it was clear that he had no immediate understanding of the kitten's language, but he did understand what was on her mind. He shook his head. "Look, I know I shouldn't have let her see me, but I was curious." He looked to the door. "She seems... different to the others." He looked back to the cat. "And lonely." A small smile slipped over his features, insubstantial or not. "And we would know all about that, wouldn't we?"

Yuki gave a sorrowful purr in agreement. She looked to the door, then back to the ghost. She tilted her head, a look on her features telling him she wanted a more substantial answer than the one she had received. However he wasn't looking at her any more, gazing in the direction the brunette had gone.

"It would be nice to have some company for once," he mused quietly.

Yuki meowed.

"Sorry, I mean human company," he quickly amended, grinning. "Human company apart from Renaldo and Toto. Anyway," he added firmly, "she's going to be as lonely as we are, here on her own."

The white kitten gave him a peculiar look, but the sound of footsteps stopped her there.

Haru slipped inside the kitchen, now dressed, but wearing slippers still and a pair of gloves to keep her hands warm. "The problem with rickety old castles like this," she said as she entered, "is that they never seem to keep any heat in. I know it's the middle of winter and all that, but still..." She shivered and stood beside the oven, which was still retaining some heat from the breakfast that morning. Also, unknowingly standing right beside where _he_ had stood only seconds before. Now though there was no evidence that he had ever been there.

"You know, I think there's some wood in the back of the garage – or what is the garage now; we could have a fire." Haru weighed up this option, then shook her head. "No, it wouldn't really be worth it, with just the two of us. Ah well, we'll just have to find another way to keep warm. Maybe we should explore the castle. How would you like that, Yuki?"

Haru took her meow as agreement. She grinned. "Good. Come on then."

She let the cat scramble onto her shoulder, then started through the door and into the hallway. She'd seen parts of the castle – the parts that had been fixed and restored to accommodate guests – but there were several rooms and corners that had been either forgotten or left as they were. Some of the rooms had been updated for the modern era – which was why the lounge now boasted a TV and the kitchen was full of modern applications, and a room or something that may have once been a stable was now a garage with a spare room in the back.

Haru sneaked into several rooms on the first floor, in some cases only finding a broom cupboard, but there were other rooms that held more intriguing contents. Quite a few of the rooms seemed to have been emptied at one point or another though, with only the occasional piece of furniture. At one point Haru entered a room with only an old fashioned wardrobe at the back, filled only with fur coats – whether they were real fur coats or not, Haru didn't check. There was another room with an antique grandfather clock in the corner, still ticking. Later she found a small – or relatively so – library or study, with a desk to the side and bookcases lining the rest of the walls.

"It seems the baron nurtured an interest in reading," Haru commented as she drifted into it, browsing the books. She picked one out and gently blew on the cover; dust swirling and drifting like a rolling mist as the words on the front became visible.

"It seems like no one's been in here for ages," she added, unable to stop herself making a face as the dust tickled her nose, resisting the urge to sneeze. "Such a shame; books don't fare well when they're neglected. And there's such a collection here." She peered at the title of that particular book. "_Modern magic of the Nineteenth Century_," she read. She looked over to Yuki. "Not that modern," she noted and flicked to the inside page. "And I think this was actually done around that time as well." She started looking through the other books with fresh eyes. Slowly she replaced the book back in its original place and started to brush away the dust on the spines.

"I recognise most of these," she said quietly. "These are classic authors – Mary Shelley, Arthur Conan Doyle, Emily Bronte – we studied _Wuthering Heights_ at school..." She moved round to another shelf, her finger trailing the titles still. "Even Darwin's _The Origin of Species_... the baron was obviously well read..." Her eyes focused on several different books, some looking even older than the main bulk of them. "However, he seemed to have kindled an interest in magic. He certainly sounds like a character." She noted that not all of the books were that old; a few were printed quite recently by the look of it. She guessed that over the years, guests had been leaving books behind and some tidy-minded person had located them to the reading room.

Yuki had left Haru's shoulder and was exploring the desk, now nudging at the drawers as if willing them to open. Haru looked round to the curious cat and moved away from the bookcases to the desk too.

"Something in there?" she asked and helped Yuki open the drawer, tugging a little as the hinges proved to be rotting away. However the drawer did come open, to reveal a delicate pile of paper.

"What had caught your attention?" mused Haru, as she watched the white kitten peer inside. "Why were you so anxious about that particular drawer?" She continued to watch as the cat retreated from the drawer, seeming almost relieved by something. Haru reached in and brought out the papers, quickly recognising them as letters. She turned them over to see who they were addressed to.

"Louise," she read out. She ran one finger along the name; the handwriting matching perfectly the writing from the magic 8 ball. "I suppose that must have been the lady he was seeing. I wonder what happened to her." Her fingers hesitated at the fold, the urge to take a look very much present. But eventually she sighed and slotted them back into the drawer.

"Even if the baron isn't still around as a ghost, you can't just go reading through someone's private letters," she said to Yuki. "And if Louise was the lady he wanted to marry, I suspect these will be very much private." She stroked the kitten's head. "It's a little weird that they've been left here for so long. Quite lucky they've been left undisturbed really." She thought about it for a moment and about the lingering presence of the deceased baron. "Or maybe it wasn't luck," she added.

ooOoo

"I don't remember there being so many steps," Haru huffed as she dragged her feet up the stairs to the second floor. Mostly the second floor was turrets and towers, like the room she was using for a bedroom, and she remembered from her first view of the castle that it had several thin towers. On remembering this, she had decided to explore the others. "I'm sure there were fewer steps to my room," she added, breathless. "Or maybe these steps are just steeper."

Yuki meowed from her shoulder.

"Yeah, well you're not walking, are you?" Haru replied, having no idea to the real meaning behind the cat's meow, but making an educated guess all the same. Or maybe just entertaining herself with the idea that the cat could understand her. "Would you like to walk for yourself?"

She grinned when the cat didn't respond.

"Okay, so don't comment on my complaints then." She finally reached the top and leant against the wall for a few seconds to regain her breath before even contemplating the idea of entering. The door was of the same style as the rest, so Haru had little idea of what lay behind it.

"If..." she said between breaths, "there is nothing more than a broom cupboard in here, I think I shall go mad. All those steps... all those steps..." she repeated, gesturing at the winding perilous twist of stairs she'd just endeavoured, "for nothing!"

Yuki seemed to be experiencing some doubt too, for suddenly she leapt off Haru's shoulder and hesitated at the first step, glancing back at Haru, as if asking her to follow. She meowed, louder than usual, and padded with a velvety paw at the top step.

"What, you want to go back? After all that? No fear," Haru laughed. "You weren't the one who had to climb up all those steps. Come on, let's see what's inside." Having regained her breath, she placed a hand on the handle and brought it down, letting the door swing leisurely open.

"See – no ghosts there," Haru said smiling to the cat. The room inside seemed to bend round, since at the moment she could only see part of a wall. However, light seemed to be coming in from somewhere. Ignoring Yuki's meows of protests, she stepped slowly over the threshold, blinking a little from the sudden natural light, used to the dim lamps that lined the staircase.

She came into the main volume of the room, and stopped. Her mouth formed an "O" as her eyes grew accustomed and she took in the details of the room.

It was like a bedroom, except without the main feature of the bed. The walls were a pale, light shade, making the room instantly seem brighter than it actually was, and, unlike the room she was using for a bedroom, the roof was slanting so that the window looked not out to the garden or grounds, but up to the sky. Delicate sky blue curtains fell across it, and light still filtered through it. There was a small, modest bookcase to one side, coming to about waist height, and above it stood two wooden dolls, linked together, arm in arm. A collection of other items stood around the couple, probably each with their own story – a conch shell, a few sketches, and a necklace. The room, all in all, had a distinctly feminine feel to it.

Haru gently pulled the curtains open, only to find that a layer of snow was covering it, but still allowed some sunlight through. Haru sighed and stood on tiptoes so that she could very slightly open the window in order to sweep the snow away. Somehow she managed it without spilling the snow upon her, and when she shut it the room was bathed in pearly misty light.

"There," she said contently. "Now the room looks more like it used to." She swept her gaze around; her attention drawing to the items on the top of the bookcase once again. There were three pictures, all hand drawn and framed. One was of a young lady with light – probably blonde, although it was hard to tell in black-and-white – hair and one hand brought up to the wide-brimmed hat that rested on her head. The top of a cloak could be seen drawn about her. The second caught Haru's attention more though – it was the same face she had seen earlier. Even though it wasn't in colour, she could already see the green gleam of his eyes in her mind. The last one contained both the lady and the baron, standing on a balcony somewhere in the castle. They had their backs to the artist, looking out instead to the sunset. Whether they knew or not that they were being drawn was uncertain, but there was something decidedly homely and comfortable about it.

Haru found herself smiling, and then suddenly she was taking a closer look at the wooden dolls. She hadn't really looked at them properly earlier, so now she was surprised to realise that they weren't human – as she had first thought – but half-cat. The one on the right was a snow-white half-cat, with brilliant azure eyes, and was holding a bouquet in her gloved hands, but – once again – it was the other one which made her stop and stare. It wasn't the old-fashioned clothes, or the fact that it was an orange half-cat. It was the eyes.

They were the same shade of green as the baron's.

"Exquisite, aren't they?"

**ooOoo**

**A/N: For those of you lucky enough to be ignorant on the progress of exams, I can happily inform you that they are OVER! *shamelessly cries with happiness* Unfortunately, I doubt I've got the grades needed, but I can be blindly optimistic. Anyway, that means I will be less-dead than I've been recently, although in the upcoming weeks my routine will be experiencing problems due to holiday. So my updates will be a little here-and-there, but they will come. Eventually.**

**On a ghost-related note, we recently bought/watched _Woman in Black_. Sheesh, I'm still trying to convince my family it's a 12. Anyone else suffer the Potterhead problem of wanting to shout, "Use your wand, Harry!" during the film? No? Only me then? Huh... _Anyway,_ I can assure you that you'll experience significantly fewer psychological problems from this fanfiction than _Woman in Black_.**

**God bless,**

**Catsafari. =^^=**


	8. The Baron von

Chapter 8: The Baron von...

Her hands already half out to touch the wooden dolls; she jumped back guiltily at the voice. "I'm sorry," she automatically apologised before she even thought about it or began to wonder who the owner of the voice was. "I... I... was just taking a look around. I was just curious..."

Now her voice trailed off as her mind started to make some connections and took in the newcomer.

"Y-you!" she squealed, then clamped both hands over her mouth. "I d-didn't mean it like that," she stammered, and then hastily bowed. She didn't bring her head up immediately; partly waiting for him to respond, and partly trying to understand what her eyes were telling her. Even though her mind was screaming that this wasn't possible.

And yet there he was.

She slowly brought her head up and took another look at the stranger. Or whatever he was. Her mouth opened and closed several times as her brain was still frozen. One look to her left at the portraits would prove that he was indeed the same baron in the pictures – even down to the same old-fashioned clothing.

"Hiromi's u-uncle said you were real," she eventually forced out.

He smiled. "Yes, I heard that."

Haru watched him, waiting for him to make the next comment. Part of her mind had registered that she was staring; she wondered if she should stop. She wondered if she _could_ stop.

"Y-you're... a... ghost..." she finally added. There, she'd said it.

He chuckled; the sound wasn't ghost-like or half-formed at all. In fact it sounded alive. "That I am aware of."

Haru's hand was gripping the bookcase, more for support than anything else. Her gaze flicked over him – despite his strong voice, his appearance was less so. There was a definite mist or blur to him, not enough to cover his features, but something that caught the edge of her eye, however when she turned to it, he snapped back into sharp focus. And, if she concentrated, she could see the lines of the wall behind him.

"Can you walk through stuff?" It was a stupid question, she knew that even before she asked it, but the silence made her apprehensive and it was that question was only thing that came to mind.

"Yes." His eyes betrayed a certain amount of curiosity in her and amusement at her reaction. He brought his hand to the bookcase and allowed it to pass through.

Somewhere inside her, Haru was regaining her senses. And even she could not deny the fact she had her own curiosity. Assured that he meant no harm, she stepped forward and held up one hand, in the same way one does when placing a hand against a wall or mirror. He saw what she was asking, and he brought up his own hand and placed it against hers.

There was no physical contact, no definite touch to the motion. Just like she had been expecting, but still it was... something else to actually see it and realise it, rather than just to think it. She moved her hand an inch forward and before he could move his own, Haru's hand was through his. They both paused.

"It's not cold," Haru whispered, surprised by the revelation. "It's... I mean... I can feel your hand..."

He suddenly withdrew his hand. "What?"

"I can feel the warmth from your hand," Haru explained quietly, massaging her hand with her other fingers, as if searching for the warmth to return. "I mean, I could. Has no one ever told you that?"

His emerald eyes suddenly seemed insecure.

"Or... maybe you haven't allowed anyone to get close enough to you to tell you that," Haru concluded finally, understanding; a swell of pity rising inside her. Her original fear was fast dissolving. "How long have you been here?" she whispered.

"Long enough."

Haru's gaze dropped to the floor again. "Who _are_ you?"

"I am Baron Humbert von..." He paused – the hesitation was painful to hear. He frowned. "Humbert von... Gikk... Gikken..." Haru looked up to see a lost expression she wasn't prepared to see on his features. "Or was it Jikk-something?" He closed his eyes, shutting away the hurt. "I'm sorry; I haven't used my full name in years. I usually just go by Baron."

She stepped forward and hesitantly placed one nervous hand on his arm, hovering it just above so that it didn't go through, but close enough that she could feel the warmth. "I'll call you Baron then," she murmured, hoping to soothe him. "Anyway, it suits you."

A small smile slipped onto his face. "Thank you."

An unexpected flutter of butterflies unsettled her stomach at his smile, but she pushed it aside. She tried to move the conversation away from its current topic. "What was this room for?"

"It was Louise's. She just liked having a room here she could call her own."

"Was she...?"

"She was the lady I was hoping to marry, yes."

"Oh." She'd hit another dead-end topic. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be – you weren't responsible for what happened. It happened all long before you were even born."

That made her feel so small. He'd lived through so much more than her; had lived through another time period; had watched the times change while he... could only watch.

"And you've been alone all that time?" she asked in a small voice. She didn't even want to imagine what over a century of loneliness would do to a person... that was assuming he'd been there for that long. But he hadn't given her a date or a time period, so she could only guess by his manners and dress.

"People have come and gone. And Yuki's been around."

Haru remembered the white cat then, and at that point the white feline chose to leap onto the bookcase, to remind them she was still there. Her tail flicked back and forth in a way that almost said, '_Oh, so __**now**__ you remember me?_' but there was a playfulness still present.

Haru laughed in a hushed tone. "So even you knew about the ghost, Yuki?" She scratched behind the kitten's ears, earning a vibrant purr.

"The castle is always well stocked, so when the place is empty I make sure she stays fed," Baron said. "Call it my thanks for keeping me company."

Haru looked up at him. "But you can't hold anything. How could you feed her?"

His smile became more genuine. No – it was no less genuine than his previous smile, but just... stronger. "Oh, don't you remember anything from the last few days?"

Haru's mind skimmed over her memories. Finally she asked, "Magic?"

He nodded. "Perhaps now is a good time to tell you a more complete version of the story Renaldo told you. He was right when he said that I fell in love with a young lady." He gestured to the portrait of the woman in the frame. "That's her. Louise. She was the daughter of a wealthy noble, one quite possibly with some relation to the royal line. At least, that was what her father was always insisting. Lady Louise. We met quite accidently at some royal function – I believe it was a ball or dance or something along those lines – and I asked her to dance."

"Why were you invited to a royal event?" Haru asked. She brought herself to a stop. "Sorry, I was just curious. And, if you were, didn't that make you quite high-ranking?"

He chuckled. "I was a young baron, but the title had been passed down my family. Magic wasn't common even then, but my family had a natural ability for it – so we were well kept, for the royal family wanted to stay on the good side of a family of sorcerers. Every now and then we would be asked to help, but usually we were left to our own devices. I had actually met the prince a couple of times – we had talked about working together when he took the crown." He shook his head. "Of course, I never got to see him become king."

"Oh." Haru paused."What happened between you and Louise?"

"Where was I before that tangent?"

"You asked her to dance."

"Ah, yes. Well, she accepted and then one dance became two, and two became three and then one court function turned to more and we began to talk. Soon we began to see each other outside the formal occasions and... well you can guess what happened. At first I thought that her family would give us peace, but after a while it became clear that her father didn't approve of his only daughter falling for a... sorcerer." His pause suggested that Louise's father had used a worse word. "In fact the entire family was entirely against magic; they believed it corrupted and changed a person – all of them except Louise, who was willing to listen to me."

"I thought Hiromi's uncle said your families were bitter rivals?"

A wan smile appeared on his lips. "Yes, well, sometimes the twisted truth is easier to explain than the full truth. Sometimes it's easier to accept that it was something as simple as that. And, in some ways, it was partly true. Anyway," he added, turning away, "it wasn't an easy story to tell."

Haru also looked away. She had no words of comfort to offer that wouldn't sound hollow.

"So then we began to meet in secret," he started up again. "She had a cousin in this corner of the country, so she would go and see her on a frequent basis. Her cousin approved of me, so she kept the secret. But then... well, it was going to become known sooner or later. Villagers' gossip and word of mouth finally reached the rest of her family and they came to see if it was true. We saw no reason to keep it quiet any longer so we announced we were planning to marry. That didn't go down well, not well at all, but we didn't see what they could do about it." His expression darkened furiously. "If we had known..." He shook it away. "Well, nothing can be done about it now. For a while it seemed they had accepted it, and so we began to organise the wedding. We even thought her father might willing give her away at the ceremony.

"The night before the wedding; her father and brother arrived. I thought we could put everything all behind us, could maybe even move on. For... a few foolish moments... I thought that maybe the happiness of Louise could change their mind and views on me. I accepted them in and then..." The frown returned, but his eyes unfocused, lost in another time. "He pulled a knife on me," he muttered. His eyes closed again but this time a visible shiver passed through him. "I invited him into my home, treated him as a guest, then I looked round and he was wielding... wielding _that knife_. And then... the memory begins to blur. I remember he lunged, but after that..."

"Baron, you don't have to tell me if you don't want."

But it seemed he had held back the memories for so long that now he was allowing himself to remember, he couldn't hold them back.

"The next thing I remember was apparently coming to. The room... oh, Louise's room was ruined. They had torn it apart... I spent so much time afterwards putting it back together. It still... it still doesn't look quite right. But there was no body... and no blood. He ran me through with a knife, and yet there was no blood or body. I don't know how that happened or what they did with my body, and for a week after that I could not make myself seen to anyone. And then I began to become visible and now I have to use my magic if I want to become invisible, but I don't understand it. I don't understand a lot of things – like how my magic is still present."

"What happened to Louise?" Haru looked to the pictures again, at the serene couple of Baron and Louise and wondered what happened to that beautiful blonde.

"That... I cannot answer. Her brother and father returned to the castle at one point but I hadn't returned to being visible by then. I heard them discussing that Louise had disappeared... they had sent out search parties and in the end they decided she must have either escaped or been kidnapped or killed. But she had left everything in her room; all her clothes were present and all the horses accounted for. If she did leave then she left on foot with nothing but the clothes on her back. But... whatever happened... even if she did survive somehow, she wouldn't be around anymore." A grieving expression passed his face. "Even so... it would be nice to discover what happened to her."

"They never found her?"

"No." His answer was short. "Her father and brother weren't seen after that though."

It was hard to tell whether the emotion present was sorrow or anger, but it trembled with one or the other. Or maybe both. Haru – although she couldn't claim to be able to be able to possibly understand the years of isolation he'd endured or the questioning he must have gone through – felt her sympathy go out to him. For the first time, the wish that she could physically embrace came, if only to comfort him.

Even so, there was something in the way that made her suspect he hadn't told the whole story.

'_What are you hiding?_' she silently asked.

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Early chapter today, I know - but that's because I'm going away on holiday, so no updates until I'm back. Next week's chapter should be up around Saturday instead of Friday, unless I stumble across a cafe with internet access or something. (I'm going to be away from my laptop and writing for a whole week - how am I ever going to cope? I think I'm going to get withdrawal symptoms...)**


	9. Snowstorm

**A/N: Sorry for the day-late chapter. I would have updated earlier today, but I wasn't aware that my flight back to England would be delayed. By 15 hours. *mucho pouting* So, after staying at a very nice hotel, courtesy of the nice plane company, and then catching another flight, and eventually returning home, I finally present to you, Chapter Nine of Haunted:**

Chapter 9: Snowstorm

"_Haru? Haru, pick up the phone. Haru_!"

Haru flew down the stairs, somehow making it down without breaking her neck.

"Be careful, Miss Haru!" Baron called down after her, although he didn't think it would make much difference.

"_Haru! HARU!_"

Haru reached the phone in the hall just as Hiromi's yells were reaching fever-pitch.

"YES?" she shouted down the line, for shouting was the only way she was going to be heard over Hiromi.

"_Oh, there you are. Where have you been? The answer phone clicked in about a minute ago – we were starting to worry._"

"I'm fine. I was in one of the towers, so I didn't hear the phone go."

"_Well listen closer in future, doughnut-head._"

Despite herself, Haru found she was smiling. "Did you call for any particular reason, or was it just to insult me?"

"_Oh, yeah. Um, the snow hasn't stopped since we left, and now the roads are really blocked. Uncle Toto and Uncle Muta packed stuff in the car, so we're fine and we've booked in at the village bed-and-breakfast, but we can't get back. They say it would be stupid to try to get back to the castle in this weather, so we're going to stay here until it clears up_."

"Oh." Haru looked up and saw Baron in front of her, his head tilted curiously to one side as he listened to the one-sided conversation. She cradled the phone between her shoulder and cheek so she could still listen to Hiromi while motioning to Baron snow falling with her hands. After a moment he seemed to understand, for he nodded.

"_Yes, 'Oh' indeed. And the forecast shows it isn't due to let up any time soon_."

"Is everyone all right there?"

Baron frowned at the question.

"_Oh, yes, don't worry. We're all together, and staying with the other B&B guests, so we're fine_."

Haru did thumbs up to him to convey the answer.

"_But are you going to be okay on your own in the castle?_"

"Yes, and it's not like I'm alone."

"_What?_"

Haru reddened at her mistake. "I mean... there's Yuki."

"_Haru, you cannot count the __**cat**__ as company. What happens if something goes wrong?_"

"What _can_ we do? You can't get here, and I can't get to you, so really we're stuck. Unless you plan to fly here, there's nothing that can be done."

"_Would panicking count as something?_"

"Not really, Hiromi," she sighed. She thought of something. "Hey, can you tell your Uncle Muta that he was right?"

"_Um, okay_." There was a muffled sound as Hiromi turned away from the phone and repeated her message to her uncle. There was some laughing, then Hiromi returned to the phone. "_He says you've met Baron then? Haru, honestly you shouldn't encourage him on the whole ghost business_."

"Well neither should you."

"_Yeah, but I'm his niece_."

"I'm his niece's best friend."

"_Neh, not quite the same. But on a serious note, what are you going to do_?"

"The castle has a cellar and two extra fridges – I'm not going to starve exactly."

"_Can you cook_?" Hiromi asked incredulously.

"Yes, Hiromi, I can cook. Just because I let you take control over the kitchen, doesn't mean–"

"_Sorry, I've picked that up from Uncle Muta_." Haru could hear her grinning at the other end of the line. "_So you're okay for food, what about heating?_"

"What _about_ the heating? The boiler's still working."

"_What about if you have an accident – fall down the stairs, slip on the ice...?_"

"Hiromi..."

"_You could have one of your klutz attacks!_"

Haru could feel herself reddening. "Hiromi, perhaps you should pass the phone onto someone else. You're getting hysterical."

There was a sudden scuffle and the gruff voice of the larger uncle spoke down the phone. "_Hey, Chicky, is everything okay over there?_"

"Yeah, I told Hiromi everything was okay–"

"_Yeah, well she gets her hysterical side from her mother's side of the family. Were you serious about Baron?_"

There was muttering from the other end of the line, something about him talking about petty issues, but it sounded like the other uncle shushed them.

"Yes – I've just met him."

There was an astonished pause. "_Already_?" Then he seemed to collect himself together. "_Well, you'll be okay then. He keeps to himself mostly, but he's a good character._"

"You trust him then?"

"_He's never given us reason to doubt that trust_." The line was beginning to come and go as the snowstorm outside worsened. "_Don't worry, you should be fine_."

"_I'm not worrying. Hiromi's doing quite enough of that for both of us. Oh, and one last thing_," Haru suddenly added. "_Mr Moon, do you know Baron's surname_?"

She saw Baron to her side tense, but ignored it.

"_His surname_?" The line was definitely beginning to go now.

"Yes."

"_Hasn't he told you? Why are you asking me if he's there?_"

"Sir, he can't remember it."

There was a terrible pause.

"_He can't_?"

Haru shook her head before remembering that he couldn't see her. "No, sir."

There was a muttered short response, that might have been a curse, but Haru didn't hear it properly. "_**Seriously?**__ We just thought... we just thought that he preferred to go by his title..._"

"So you don't know?"

"_No_."

"Oh... well it was worth a shot, I suppose."

"_Wait, there is a library around here. There may be some records there..._"

"So you'll look?"

"_We'll certainly try if we get a chance to_."

"Thanks."

"_Okay, so–_"

The line went dead.

"Sir? Mr Moon? _Hiromi_?" Haru checked the wires; no, the phone was still plugged in. "Damn," she muttered. "I think the snow has probably brought down one of the telegraph poles or something. The landline has completely gone."

"They can't contact you then?"

Haru shook her head. "No, my mobile is broken. And now I'm stuck here."

"What did Renaldo say to you?"

Haru sighed. "He doesn't know your full name. I'm sorry."

His disappointment was visible.

"But he says that the library might have old records, so he might check there."

"Thank you."

"For what? He's the one who's agreed to look your name up."

He smiled. "For caring."

ooOoo

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

Haru looked up from where she was collapsed on the sofa, taking her head out of her textbook at hearing his voice. "What?"

"A cup of tea," he repeated slowly. "Would you like one?"

She grinned sheepishly. "Do I really look that bad?"

"Not really. Just fed up."

"Sorry."

"What are you doing exactly?"

"Revision. I've got exams after Christmas."

"They give you exams after Christmas?"

"Everyone does."

He grinned sympathetically. "Merry Christmas, have fun revising, is it?"

"It's not far off that."

"Okay, I'll start making that tea then."

Haru thanked him, then returned to sinking her head into the textbook. She mumbled to herself something about taking a small break, then closed her eyes and what seemed like thirty seconds later there was the clink of a cup being set down on the table beside her. "That was quick."

"It wasn't. You fell asleep."

She grumbled into the pages. "Did not."

Something nudged into her shoulder; she picked up her head again to see the cup and saucer was gently prodding her side, hovering in mid-air.

"Okay, okay, I can take a hint." She pulled herself up into a sitting position, stretching out her aches and took the levitating teacup. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The textbook lifted off the end of the sofa and drifted to stop before Baron. The pages flicked as he looked over the general topics.

"Hey, you'll lose my page."

"I'll find it again after this." Baron was tilting his head as he read over a few of the headings. "What subject is this?"

"Psychology."

"Oh. What's WMM stand for?"

"Working Memory Model."

"Uh-hm. And I suppose that is..."

"A model for how memory works, yes."

"That's helpful."

"You're telling me."

"Things have changed since I was around."

"Yes, well time tends to do that."

He allowed the book to float back over to the table. "I wish you luck then."

Haru grinned. "Thanks." She sipped at the tea then paused. "Is this your own blend?"

"Yes... is it okay? It's a little different each time so I can't guarantee the taste. If it's bad I can–" he started anxiously.

"No, it's okay. In fact it's delicious." She smiled over at him and continued drinking. Her mind wandered onto other subjects. "You know the two wooden cat dolls in Louise's room?"

"Hm?"

"One of them looks a lot like you."

He suddenly laughed.

Haru blushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... it was just, you know, the eyes..."

"No, no, it's not that. I carved those half-cats – well, with Louise's help. I taught her how to carve figurines out of wood and she came up with the idea. One was meant to look like me and the white one was meant to look like Louise. I'm sure she'd be pleased to know we succeeded. It was just meant to be some idle project, but Louise grew terribly fond of both the figurines, as did I. She painted them entirely on her own though – she did something clever with the paint for the eyes and now they seem to move in the light." He chuckled. "Strange. There was me with all my magic and she could make those eyes more alive than I could ever hope to."

Haru smiled tiredly. "I suppose there's more than one type of magic then."

"Yes, I suppose so."

They both paused in thought and Haru finished the last of her tea. She seemed to change tracks very quickly as she placed the tea on one side. "Right, I suppose that's quite enough of a break. I probably should be getting back to revision."

"If you've got exams, why did you all come out here for a holiday?"

"Hiromi's uncles offered her a free fortnight here."

"And you just came along for the ride, did you?"

"Hiromi could bring along three friends."

"So she brought you, her boyfriend and that other boy?"

Tsuge's her boyfriend; Machida's his friend."

"Oh, okay."

Haru blushed again slightly, remembering all the teasing she suffered from Hiromi about Machida and realising that Baron had probably heard it. "I didn't really have much choice on who else came," she added. "And it was too good an opportunity to miss." She grinned nervously and leaned over to take possession of her textbook once again, if only to make her seem like she was doing something. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll return to revising. I won't learn anything by chatting."

"You won't learn anything if you sleep against the book either," Baron noted, remembering how she'd been "revising" when he'd returned with the tea. "How do you intent to remember anything if you sleep with your head in the book?"

Haru paused. "Osmosis?" she offered. "No, hang on, that's water molecules..."

"Do you do biology?" he asked.

"Hiromi does. No, I think it'd be diffusion... or is that only for gases?"

He laughed. "Well, it sounds like it's a good thing you haven't got a biology exam in January too."

"Thanks, because _that_ makes me feel better."

"I'm trying my best." The empty cup floated up from the table and started to drift in the general direction of the kitchen, along with several other pieces of used cutlery and bowls and whatnot. "I'll take these back," he offered. "Is there anything else?"

"Um, no. Thanks, Baron. You're being a really great help."

"You're revising; I should let you focus."

All the same, when he returned Haru had already slipped into the lull of sleep; her face buried into the textbook. He smiled fondly at the young brunette and automatically reached down to sweep a stray strand of hair away from her serene face. He remembered his current situation when his fingers passed through her hair and the tips of his fingers brushed through her cheek. He flinched and dropped his hand to his side.

However the brunette's head moved, as if feeling the contact, and her own hand reached up as if to sweep away a breath of air or a prickling on the skin or something. A small, barely formed frown passed over her features at the absence and then went just as quickly.

Something she'd said earlier that day passed his mind.

"_I can feel the warmth from your hand_."


	10. Broken

Chapter 10: Broken

Haru woke up shivering the next day. She pulled the duvet close around her and dove deeper into the blankets – hang on, _duvet_? She almost jumped out of the bed and fell onto the floor with the realisation of where she was, which was the bed in the tower room. The one she'd been using as a bedroom ever since they arrived, although it was the first night she had been able to use the bed instead of her sleeping bag. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep against the textbook... She glanced down at herself and was very much relieved to see she was still in her clothes from the evening before.

She swung her legs out and slipped her feet into her slippers; grabbing fresh clothes as she headed to the bathroom. Was it just her or was it cold? She dressed into the fresh clothes, then realised the bathroom mirror was frosted over. She tried to clear it away, then realised it was actual ice. She sighed and tried the tap. Several seconds passed and no water came out; just a dulled, clunking sound. She frowned, decided that brushing her teeth would have to wait, and ambled downstairs.

"Baron, has something happened?" she called. She passed a door that she had previously classed as just another broom cupboard, and stopped when she heard the distinct voice of Baron. She tugged the door open and found that it wasn't a cupboard, but the boiler. Baron was standing before it, a definite irritation present in his posture.

"Is everything okay? The water upstairs isn't working."

At hearing her voice he spun round to see her. "Miss Haru, you are going to freeze," he reprimanded instantly. "Go and put a jumper on."

Despite the fact that her teeth were indeed chattering, she ignored his advice. "I asked if everything is okay," she repeated stubbornly. "You're yet to give me an answer."

"The boiler's broken," he hissed. "I've never had to worry about it before when it's gone in the past since the cold doesn't affect me, but you're going to catch your death if I leave it."

"Don't you know how to fix it?"

"I've never had to before." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't understand the mechanics of it very well," he admitted embarrassedly. "I mean, is it just a case of something's become unfixed or an actual fault in the system?"

"I think it's pressure."

"And how am I meant to fix that? I can't touch it and, if I do use any tools, I have to use magic to move them and that requires a surprising amount of co-ordination." He gave the boiler a narrow glare. "I can't even give it a good kick."

"Would that solve it?"

"No, but it might make me feel better." He sighed. "I think we could work around the lack of heat – maybe light a fire or just wear extra layers, but I don't know about the water problem."

"Oh – there's bottled water in the cellar," Haru suddenly remembered.

"How much?"

"A dozen two-litre bottles maybe? I don't know, I didn't count."

Baron did some quick calculations. "If it's just you using the water for drinking and cooking... that'll be enough. Well, enough for us not to worry right now."

"I suppose I won't be able to have a shower or wash any clothes until it's fixed, will I?" Haru asked wistfully.

"I'll see if I can get the water running on a small scale, but right now we haven't got the water to spare. Or, to be more precise, _you_ haven't got the water to spare." He looked over to her once again. "Now go and put another layer on. Maybe even a pair of gloves and a hat if the temperature drops any further."

"Okay, okay." She disappeared up the stairs and Baron turned back to the disobedient boiler. He sighed and returned into the kitchen, deciding to attempt to tackle the problem later.

"So have you got anything planned for today?" Haru called down as she entered the lounge, now wearing a thick jumper and gloves as Baron had suggested.

Baron entered seconds after, but from the kitchen with a cup of tea floating beside him. "Not really. Why? What were you thinking of doing?"

Haru took the offered tea. "I was planning on revising actually."

"Like you were yesterday?"

"Hey, I was tired!"

"Yes, I could tell."

"Well, maybe instead of making smart comments, you might allow me to get on and actually _revise_."

He grinned. "Well, maybe you have a point."

ooOoo

Again, her studies were disturbed by the clink of something being set down on the table beside her. She yawned and looked to her side. "What?"

"Lunch. You've been revising all morning."

She blinked several times as her eyes readjusted from having focused on lines for several hours and moved instead onto the plate to her side. "What time is it?"

"Almost one."

"Really?"

"Well, unless the clock has also broken, yes."

She rubbed at her eyes. "Just give me a moment to–"

The book lifted out of her hands and rested across the room. "You look like one of the walking dead," Baron commented dryly. "It's time to take a break."

"That's rich coming from a ghost."

He smiled wanly. "Just eat."

She sighed and took duly took the plate. He watched for a moment to make sure she was eating before returning to the kitchen. Yuki jumped onto Haru's lap.

"Hi, Yuki." She glanced over in the general direction of the kitchen where Baron could be heard putting plates away. "So what do you make of him?" she asked in a whisper, in case Baron was near the door.

The pale kitten purred and rubbed her head against Haru's hand.

"So you like him too?" Haru grinned. "He's looked after you, hasn't he? When it was just you and him, he made sure you were well fed and okay." She paused, then laughed. "That sounds a lot like how he's looking after me too. I suppose I'm just another stray kitten really when it comes down to it." She thought about this for a moment. Strange, she seemed to have settled with the idea of a residential ghost surprisingly quickly. Maybe it was easier when the ghost acted just like another human being.

Yuki meowed and padded Haru's arm, as if asking her what she was thinking. The way she tilted her head afterwards only reinforced this image.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

Another meow.

"About what, you mean?" Haru guessed. She looked away and then shrugged. "Um, I don't know. This and that I suppose."

Yuki gave her an impatient look.

"Oh, I guess that means you want more specific details than that, doesn't it?" She sighed and looked down at her plate. "It's just weird that I've already accepted Baron. I don't know why, but he isn't at all like I expected a ghost to be like. Except for the main differences, he acts... normal. Well, apart from the period differences between this time and his, I mean. And sometimes... oh, I don't know. Sometimes I think I almost forget he's... dead..."

She picked her head up quickly. "But I suppose that's just because I'm not used to the idea yet. But you would think that I would have the exact opposite problem, wouldn't you? I suppose it's just because..." She lifted one hand subconsciously to the cheek Baron had touched yesterday while she'd been sleeping. "Just because he seems so alive."

ooOoo

"I see you've got the radio working."

Haru looked up from where she had one hand stuck behind the sideboard, trying to plug the cord in. "Funny, real funny," she muttered. "Why are the plug sockets always hidden behind awkward pieces of furniture, _that's_ what I want to know?"

She gasped as the wire suddenly started moving by itself and there was a click as the plug attached itself to the socket. Then she remembered who she was with. She turned round to Baron. "Thanks."

"Well I could hardly leave you struggling, could I?"

Unable to think of a response to that, Haru just grinned and went on to tune the radio. At first there was only the buzz of interference, but finally she found a station, singing out a tinny advertising jingle.

"It's a little blurred, isn't it?"

"It's all this snow," Haru sighed. "It'll be blocking the signal. We're lucky to get any signal at all really. What time is it?"

"Five minutes to the hour."

"Good, we can catch the news then. I think this is a local station, so it might tell us whether the roads should start clearing up soon or how bad it is out there." She shoved it closer to the window, just in case that helped with the signal, then returned to her place on the sofa. "Does the castle often get snowed in at this time of the year?"

"It has happened before, yes."

"And what happened?"

"Oh, usually within a week the roads are clear enough to be able to access the village again."

"Oh. Good."

He turned to her. "Are you worried about yourself?"

Haru shook her head. "No, I'm worried about Hiromi and Tsuge and everyone. I mean, I know they're all together, but what if the boiler where they're staying also breaks?"

He chuckled slightly at that. "Well, they probably have a greater chance of fixing it than I do."

She also laughed after that comment. "Yes, probably. But they haven't got a ghost present to look after them. Anyway, I have no way of contacting them or of knowing what's happening at their end, so it's natural to worry."

"Yes, I know."

Haru turned impatiently to the radio. "Come on, come on," she muttered. "Hurry up with the news."

Eventually, after four and a half minutes of adverts – Haru counted – it complied, but the news wasn't good. It seemed the snow showed no signs of stopping and that it was causing chaos up and down the country.

"All the public transport will have been stopped," Haru added, mostly to herself. "The mail will probably be delayed too. And if there's as much ice as it says..." She groaned. "Maybe even after the snow's gone, it might be too icy for them to get here."

She suddenly looked up, feeling something. Baron had placed a semi-transparent hand on her shoulder, and even though there was no physical contact, she could still sense something there. She smiled thankfully up to him. "I'm sorry; I'm not usually this tense. I'm quite used to being in the house alone actually because my mother travels – it's part of what she does, but it's the fact I don't know for how long I'm going to be stuck that's grating my nerves. Once my mother went away for a quilting convention and there was a flood that cut off all the public transport. I had to wait half a week before she could return."

"What about your father? Wasn't he looking after you?"

Her eyes suddenly went guarded. "He's not around anymore."

ooOoo

Yuki padded over to the sink and then glanced back over at Baron, who was standing just behind it; his gaze focused solely on the brunette outside.

"She shouldn't be outside in this weather," he muttered. It wasn't clear whether this was for his benefit or for Yuki's. "Not with her cold. It'll only make it worse."

The kitten didn't respond, except to flick her own eyes towards the ghost, then to Haru.

Wrapped up in two jumpers, the usual gloves, hat and scarf and sporting her muddy-green wellington boots, Haru was taking down the empty bird feeders in the front part of the garden. The hat and scarf combo meant that only her eyes could be seen peeking out; the collar of her second jumper turned up to trap extra heat. She stood on tiptoes to unfasten one of the higher bird feeders, using a nearby branch for balance, only just managing.

"I told her that; she told me she'd be fine," he continued. "I offered to do it with magic instead and in the end she told me stop mollycoddling her."

There was a pause and then he sighed and wandered away from the window.

"I don't know what she's hiding, but it's something to do with her father."

Now Yuki chose her moment to meow, running along the lower cupboards to keep up with Baron. There was something of a hiss in her voice too. Baron stopped, and turned to her.

"What?"

Her hackles rose and she hissed properly this time.

"Okay, so maybe I haven't told her the full truth either," Baron snapped. "But that was done; that's behind me and there's nothing I can do about it. Her father though... I don't know whether he's dead or whether he left Haru and her mother. Anyway," he added bitterly, "how am I meant to tell her the truth about my past?"

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Thanks to all the reviews recently, guest and logged-in individuals alike. However, if you're a guest (or just haven't logged in), please leave your username (or some alias) so I can include you in the end-of-story note. It's lovely to receive reviews, but I want the chance to thank you all when I finish the story.**

**Thank you and God bless,**

**Catsafari. =^^=**


	11. New Page

Chapter 11: New Page

"Haru, are you okay?"

"Okay? Of course I'm okay." She returned her gaze back to her textbook; reading, but not really taking it in. "What could possibly make you think I wasn't?" she added in a subdued mumble.

"Haru... you've been so quiet for the last couple of days..." he said gently.

She growled and sat up suddenly. "It's the snow and cold," she said sharply. "I get grouchy when I'm cold."

He gave her a curious look. "You really want me to believe that?"

"I..." She saw his gaze and this time drew quiet. "I'm sorry," she said finally. "It's just been several things. This cold is blocking up all my senses; I've been stuck here with no news about Hiromi or the rest of them and..."

"And is it your father?"

She looked away. "You just reminded me the other day of an unfortunate event, that was all," she whispered. "I don't like to think about it."

"What...?"

"Baron, I don't ask you certain questions about your past; I'd appreciate it if you showed the same kindness for me," she said in a firmer tone. "Sometimes it's easier just to try to forget."

"I see." He left and Haru hugged her knees to her chest, leaning against the side of the sofa for support. Yuki appeared and leapt onto her leg, staring her in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Yuki," Haru murmured. "I didn't mean to get short-tempered. Do you think he's angry?"

Yuki thought it through, then shook her head from side to side.

"Just sad?" she offered.

Yuki nodded.

"Yes, I think so too. But it would make it easier for me to tell him if I wasn't pretty sure he was hiding something from me too." She dropped her head down and so her next words came out muffled. "My own troubles may not be as bad or as terrible as his, but they're still important. It's like Hiromi used to tell me: it doesn't matter whether they're big or small, because they're important to me, and that's what makes that trouble big."

She sighed and uncurled herself, gently shooing Yuki back onto the sofa. "I suppose I should really go and apologise. He's the only company – human company, I mean – that I get here. I don't really have the choice to shun it." She made it to the kitchen and saw Baron wasn't there, but outside. Shivering, she pulled the jacket she had taken to wearing at all times close around her, and opened the back door and stepped almost silently out onto the paving stones. Yuki stayed inside, but watched from the window.

"Baron?"

He snapped out of his brooding contemplation. "Haru? What are you doing out here. It's freezing, you'll–"

"Catch my death of cold. Yes, I've heard that several times recently," she said drolly.

They stood apart awkwardly; waiting for the other to move. Finally Baron spoke again.

"You haven't even got slippers on," he admonished.

"I don't mind," she lied. In truth the stones beneath were gradually turning her feet to ice, but she wasn't going to allow that to force her to leave. "Anyway, what about you?"

"I don't feel the cold."

"Not physically," she muttered to herself. Again another pause broke out; the snow falling muffling it somehow. She looked down at her feet, ignoring the shade of blue they were beginning to take on. She hoped Baron hadn't noticed. "I..." She stopped, unsure how to continue. "I'm sorry if what I said... offended you."

"It's already forgotten."

"Then why do you still wear a frown?" she whispered.

"You were right when you said... implied... that I hadn't told you everything," he replied quietly. "But some memories hurt."

"I won't ask then," she promised.

He smiled tiredly.

"So... can we start again? Forget this?"

He hesitated, and then nodded.

ooOoo

"I see you've abandoned battle on the revising front."

Haru didn't move from where she sat cross-legged in front of the TV, rifling through the various DVDs that they had brought along for the holiday. "Well done, Sherlock."

"I assume that's a reference to Conan Doyle's Sherlock; am I right?"

"Yep," she replied. She turned round to the form of Baron, still holding a couple of movies in either hand. "It's also something called heavy sarcasm," she added sweetly.

"I may have been born before your time, but I do know what sarcasm is, young lady."

"Oh, so I'm a lady now am I?"

"Barely."

She grinned and returned to the pile of movies. "I was thinking maybe about watching something–"

"You don't say," he added drolly.

"Hey, I was going to ask what you wanted to watch, but if you're just going to be like that, I don't think I'll bother."

"Okay, okay, I'll be quiet." He sat down to Haru's right, but she noticed that he wasn't actually touching the floor; just appearing to hover half an inch off the ground. Even when he walked, he usually walked on air instead of the carpet. She supposed it made sense; the ground offered no support so in reality he was hovering anyway even if he did make the effort to make it look like he was walking normally. Or she supposed the way he usually walked was classed as "normal" for him. Even if it wasn't normal to her.

"Who brought this lot along?" He was pointing to a pile of horror movies to Haru's left.

"Oh, Machida. You can take a look if you want."

"No, I think I'm fine. You weren't planning on watching one of them, were you?"

"Why? Are you scared?" she teased. "A ghost that's afraid of the dark?"

He smiled wanly back. "If decades of walking through this place haven't convinced me I'm the only supernatural thing in it, nothing will. Anyway, I'm not scared," he added in his defence. "I was just hoping for a storyline with more than just mirror tricks and rocking rocking-chairs in it." He raised an eyebrow at Haru when she stared at him. "I _have_ seen a few ghost movies in my time and after a while they all become somewhat similar. People seem to like the idea of watching ghost movies in an apparently haunted castle," he mused to himself.

"Yeah, I wonder why?" Haru looked pointedly over at the ghost beside her and moved one pile of films to the side. "Okay, so that rules out _that_ lot then." She turned to him. "Are you sure you're not interested?" she asked, grinning. "You're sure you haven't had enough of ghosts?"

"Enough to last several lifetimes," he said flatly. "Did you bring anything else?"

"Well Hiromi specifically said ghost movies or horror ones, but we don't have that many at home." She gestured to a much smaller pile. "I only brought a few favourites, but I didn't think I'd get a chance to watch them."

The pile floated up and hovered in front of Baron; the movies rising so he could see the title and then returning to the ground.

"Not a bad mixture," he said. "A few Disney, a couple of Studio Ghibli…"

"You've heard of them?"

"What, Disney or Ghibli?"

"Both."

"You get a surprising range of people who spend a holiday in an old castle, take my word for it." He reached the bottom of the pile. "I haven't seen this one yet."

"It's quite an old one," Haru started, then stopped when she remembered who she was talking to. "I mean it wasn't done in this century."

"And that makes it old? That makes me feel decrepit."

She blushed. "Yes, but you don't age," she pointed out. "Hey, I'm only seventeen; this was made before I was even born."

"When was it made?"

"Erm, in the eighties I believe. Late eighties."

"So it's only twenty years old then."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, but things have changed for the movie industry since then. Now it's all 3-D… well some of it, although it isn't always very good… and special effects have improved since then."

"So you don't want to watch this then?"

"Well, yes I do, but I was just saying…"

"No, no it's obviously too ancient for you and your modern taste. What do you think, Yuki?"

Yuki had crept up and was watching the proceedings from the top of the TV, an air of content physically present about her. At this Yuki yawned and dropped her head to her paws, watching the pair through her azure eyes.

"See, she agrees with me."

"She wasn't agreeing with you!" Haru had stood up as Baron had caused the film to float several metres into the air, tantalisingly out of reach. She laughed as she tried to jump for it. "Hey, no fair. No magic allowed!"

"Trust me, if I could hold it, I'd just hold it above your head."

She huffed, but was still grinning. "You're just being mean now."

He raised one eyebrow. Again. "You didn't even say please," he noted. "How very unladylike."

She stopped jumping immediately. Alright, if he wanted to play it that way… She made her eyes deliberately large and defenceless, and let her bottom lip quiver. "Please, Baron," she wheedled. "Pwease can I have it back?"

"I said ladylike, not babyish," he laughed, but the film descended down into Haru's hands all the same. He tried not to think about how pretty her eyes were, especially when she made direct eye contact. "So are we agreed? Do you want to watch that?"

"You're the one who displayed an interest in it first," she reminded him. "Anyway, I'm not going to be the only person watching it." She paused. "You _are_ going to watch it with me, right?" There was a definite note in her tone that said she was hoping he was going to join her and would be very much disappointed if he didn't.

"After all that? No fear, of course I'm going to watch it with you."

She grinned. "Good. I'll get the popcorn sorted." She stopped. "Oh, it'll just be me eating the popcorn, won't it?"

"Afraid so."

Still she was hesitating. "You won't mind if I just do myself some, will you?"

He waved it away. "No, I'll be fine. Mind you," he added, "Yuki might be another matter."

She laughed. "I'll get the popcorn done. Can you sort the movie out?"

He rolled his eyes, an action she hadn't seen him do before. Her own habits had to be making an impact. "While I may not intimately know the inner working of a boiler, I think I'll be able to work the TV, Haru."

She grinned. "Just asking." She disappeared into the kitchen and had already got round to finding the popcorn, but then she slowed. They had both thrown themselves into the task of starting anew and since then neither of them had mentioned the past – did they dare? – and now it was almost like nothing had ever happened between them.

Almost.

She pushed the worries back, ignored them and tuned back in to what her body was doing, which, in this case, was automatically placing the popcorn in the microwave and setting the timer. Personally, she preferred the organic non-microwave popcorn, but for ease of doing popcorn for four people they'd decided on bringing the more convenient microwavable type. At least it meant she didn't have to think much about it.

It also meant her mind was quite easily sucked up onto other topics.

Like Baron.

While the microwave was whirring as it started up Haru snuck back into the lounge, hovering hesitantly by the door. He didn't see her; he was kneeling beside the grate of the fireplace, positioning a few logs and pieces of coal with the aid of his magic, as always. When he seemed to deem it suitable, he did a strange thing. He blew on his fingers and suddenly a small flame burst to life. It flickered round his fingers and when he leant forward and placed his hand amongst the logs they eagerly grabbed the spark and then a fire was roaring as if it had been doing so for the last hour.

"The microwave is about to go any moment now, you know," he suddenly said. He snapped his head to her and smiled, partially amused by her surprise at his unexpected address her way. He stood up and motioned to the fire. "I thought since the boiler's gone, a fire would be nice tonight." He waited a moment longer for Haru to respond. "Cat got your tongue?" he offered eventually.

She grinned, for grinning was the only thing that came to mind. "No, erm… I…" Fortunately she was spared as, just as Baron had predicted, there was an audible ping as the microwave stopped. "I'll go and get the popcorn," she finished and hurried into the kitchen. Once inside she raised one hand to her cheek to see if she was blushing. Somehow the blush was hardly noticeable.

But it was still there.

"What is wrong with me?" she whispered to herself as she tugged the microwave door open. She was confident Baron was out of earshot. "He's _dead_. I shouldn't be blushing at all. He's at least a century old." She paused. Then shook her head, smiling a little. "He's way too old for me."

It still didn't stop him looking in his early twenties.

**ooOoo**

**A/N: I hope people are going to be watching the Olympics in London, especially the opening ceremony today. Goodness knows they've been advertising and discussing it enough. Just a couple of hours now!**

**Anyway, I know you're all sick of authors' notes (which is why this is at the end; you can skip this and jump to the review button - not that I'm hinting or anything..) but this is just a shout out to my _missing_ Beta; kakashifan1792; I haven't heard from her in almost over two months, so if anyone knows what's happened to her or could nudge her back into a reply, I have ideas I need to discuss and chapters that need beta-ing!**

**Anyway, God bless, and enjoy the London Olympics. Now go test that new(ish) reviewing box below!**

**Catsafari. =^^=**


	12. Moments

Chapter 12: Moments

"He does sound like you."

"No he doesn't."

"Yes he does."

"_How_?"

Haru hesitated. "You both have the same upper-class accent," she said eventually. She had decided against calling it "posh". "Very British," she added after a dubious moment.

"I still don't think he sounds anything like me."

Haru grinned and turned her head back to the TV. She was curled up on the sofa; a blanket pulled close around her for extra warmth. She had her feet tucked underneath her as she leaned back into the support of the sofa. To her side, Baron also appeared to be sitting on the settee, except for the fact that there was about an inch between him and the actual sofa. Once again he was floating.

"_You killed my father; prepare to die_," Haru said, flawlessly in time with the movie. Even her tone was almost perfect.

"You have watched this too many times," Baron said flatly, but he was smiling.

She flashed a bright grin his way. "You should see it when mum and I watch this together. We can quote just about the entire film between us."

"You know, I don't think school gives you enough work."

"Well, Baron, compared to the amount of time you've had for the last hundred years or whatever, I don't think you can comment. Anyway, I'm sure there are films _here_ that you can quote from."

Baron thought back to the DVD cupboard provided beside the television. "Yes, but I don't have a life," he replied smoothly.

"Touché."

In their conversation, Baron had missed several – probably important – lines from the film. "We probably should have put the subtitles on," he said after a moment.

"Well, if you talked less…" Haru teased.

"_Me_? In case you hadn't noticed, I wasn't talking to _myself_, Miss Haru."

Haru grinned again. She quoted another line almost automatically as she relaxed against the sofa. If Baron had been alive, the half inch between their shoulders would have been a lot more obvious, but neither of them commented. However, even though he wasn't solid, she could feel the slight warmth radiating from him. Everything she'd ever heard about ghosts – about them being cold and about sudden drops in temperature when one was in the room – didn't apply here. In some small, irrational part of her mind, she considered Baron alive.

Baron had noticed her movement towards him too. He switched his gaze from the screen to the gentle brunette by his side and, somewhere inside him, his heart swelled. This setting, this moment… it was impossible. Sure, he'd talked to people before – Renaldo and Toto had been his most recent companions before Haru – but this… _this_ was almost normal. Sitting together, just watching a film… it was a slice of normality he never thought would happen. He never thought he would experience.

As if sensing his gaze, Haru turned her head round to face him, smiling sweetly. "You okay?"

A smile of his own rose without thought. "I'm fine."

"That's good." Absent-mindedly she reached back with one hand and let her fingers fall through his hand. As if it was solid, she intertwined her fingers with his, enjoying the sense of connection between them at that point.

He watched, dumbfounded by her casual acceptance of his ghost side of him. He could feel her hand passing through his, as he was sure she could too, and yet Haru seemed fine with this.

"Haru, are you… okay with this?" he asked finally.

"What?"

Words didn't usually fail him, but at that point they did. He fumbled for a moment. "This," he repeated.

Haru knew what he meant – at least on the outside – but there was an underlying question. She brought her beautiful brown eyes up to meet his emerald ones. "I'm okay," she reassured, and her eyes told him she meant it. Then, maybe out of shyness, she dropped her eyes down to where their hands met. "I'm okay with you the way you are," she added quietly, answering the other unasked question. "It doesn't bother me that you're…"

"Dead?" he supplied when her voice trailed off.

Her hand clenched in a possessive movement. "_Not all here_, I was going to say."

He tilted his head in a curious fashion. This girl intrigued him; she reacted in ways he wasn't expecting, and her curiosity in him ran almost as deep as his did for her.

His hand moved around Haru's clenched one; the movement designed to calm her. It worked; she eventually sighed and relaxed her hand, allowing it to flow through his again. A smile lit up her features once again. "What a strange picture we must make," she commented, looking up at him again. "That's assuming that you do show on photos." She paused. "You _do_, right?"

He shrugged; the action was loose and relaxed. "To tell the truth, I don't know."

"I suppose that's because no one's ever attempted to take a photo of you before?"

"You could say that."

Haru sat up straight, thinking hard about what she knew. "Cameras work by capturing an image," she started slowly. "Or capturing light, to be more precise. Light doesn't go through you – at least not entirely – so even if we use flash on a camera, that shouldn't hinder it…_ I_ can see you, so light must be absorbed and reflected off you… so the camera should act as if you're a normal person… at least partially." She grinned. "Hey, what do you know? GCSE physics actually came in handy for once."

"You do know there is a simple way to test your theory, right?"

"Yes, but I don't have a …" She suddenly trailed off. "Wait a moment, _Hiromi_ does. She didn't take it with her when she went into town, so it should be in her bag. And her bag was left in the kitchen," she remembered. "I'll go fetch it."

"Do you want me to pause–?"

"No, I'm fine!" Haru called, already out of the room. "It won't take a sec."

"Plus you know the film backwards," Baron added.

She returned a moment later; Hiromi's bag in one hand. She grinned. "That too." She found the camera and lifted it up to her eye level. "Say cheese, Baron."

"Cheese Baron."

There was a flash from the camera, then Haru peered from around it. "Very smart," she commented flatly. Nonetheless she was smiling. She clicked a few buttons on the machine, then made a face. "Oh."

"Am I not there?" he asked worriedly.

"No, it's not that." She turned the mini screen around. "You're blinking."

He paused, then started laughing. "Well, I could've done with the warning you were about to use the flash."

"It's a rubbish first picture," she complained. "Anyway, Hiromi had put the flash on auto; how was I supposed to know?" She looked down at the camera, then added, "Take two?"

"Sounds good."

This time when the light flashed, Baron kept his eyes open, although he was blinking away little stars from his vision for several seconds afterwards. "I assume this is normal," he said.

"What?" Haru looked round at him and saw him blinking confusedly and even shaking his head a little. She giggled. "Perfectly normal," she reassured him.

When his vision had returned to normal, and he was certain no long-lasting damage had occurred, he asked, "How was that picture?"

"Better. Much better. You look a little like a rabbit caught in the headlights, but that's all." She glanced thoughtfully at the photo. "It's a shame we can't get one of both of us."

"Why not?"

"Well, I suppose we could, but that would require balancing it on something, then setting it on a timer…"

It was Baron's turn to grin. "I think you're forgetting who you're with." He got up from the sofa to take a closer look at the camera. "I suppose this is a normal camera." He pointed to a button. "So that's the shutter button, right? And that's–" he motioned to a dial "–the focusing part – wide and tight and all that."

"You know a bit about cameras, don't you?"

"I pick up a few things." The said camera floated out of Haru's grasp.

"You know, you should really ask for permission when you do something like that," Haru commented as she watched Baron examine the camera. "I keep on thinking I've dropped it or something."

"Sorry. Can you go and sit on the sofa?"

"I can."

When she didn't move, he added, "Please _will_ you go and sit on the sofa?"

She grinned and moved over to said sofa. "Yep."

"Okay, good." When he had seemed to have deemed the camera angle as good enough he stood back from the camera, giving it one last look over, then walked through it to Haru.

She was staring at the hovering camera. "That's just weird," she said flatly.

"It's the same way I give you your tea," he reminded her.

"I know, but _still_… you don't usually walk _through_ the tea..."

"Are you going to smile for the camera or not?"

She stopped. "Oh, okay." She moved closer to Baron – she probably would've tugged him closer if he had been solid – and said, "Try to look like you're in the picture."

"Sorry." He hesitated, then placed an arm around her. She responded by placing her hand over his, even though she could only feel a slight warmth from that spot, and leant towards Baron. It looked normal, but with Baron not able to give her any support, it was a subtle balancing act.

"Right," Baron started; he finally remembered why they were posing, "on zero. Three. Two. One. Zer–"

The camera flashed from its point in mid-air, but Baron didn't finish his countdown. At the last moment there had been a gratingly buzzing noise coming from the confines of Hiromi's bag, startling both of them. There was a pause.

"What's that?"

"Oh, it sounds like something's been left on in Hiromi's bag," Haru said. "When her phone has been left on, it makes that noise if it's about to run out of batt…" She abruptly cut short. "Of course!" she cried, and ran over to the bag in the corner. "Hiromi's phone! She must have forgotten to take it with her when she went into town." She was rifling through the contents. "I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier. Now it doesn't matter if the landlines are down!"

Baron moved, but he moved over to the camera. The playback feature kicked in and he mulled over the photo.

He had got the angle right, and even the zoom. It would have been an almost perfect picture if the phone had buzzed just one moment later. But, because it had happened at just that moment, Haru's head was in the process of turning to the origin of the sound; her wide eyes betraying her shock while he, on the other hand, hadn't turned his head, but something about his posture in the photo suggested he too had tensed. His eyes had flicked once in the direction of the bag, and that singular movement had been caught in it.

"That's good, right?" Haru said breathlessly.

"What?" For a moment he wasn't sure what she was referring to.

"Finding Hiromi's phone."

"I… yes, I suppose it is." The suggestion to retry with the photo died in his throat. He smiled all the same. "You'll be wanting to phone Hiromi, I guess."

"Yes – if you don't mind."

"Mind, why should I mind?"

Haru grinned and disappeared into the kitchen; which was where the phone charger had been plugged in on first arrival. Then there was the pitter-patter of footsteps as she retrieved the number Hiromi's uncle had given her for contacting them. A moment later there was a dial tone, and then the gruff voice of the very same uncle could be heard across the line.

"_Yeah? Who is this_?"

"Mr Moon, sir," Haru started falteringly, unsure exactly what she was meant to call him. "It's Haru. Hiromi's friend," she added after a moment. "In your castle."

"_Haru_?"

There was a sudden scuffle. "_Haru_?" someone else echoed in the background. "_Let me talk to her_!"

The voices grew a little fainter; by the sound of it he'd held the phone up out of his niece's reach. Finally Haru heard him ask, "_How are you? What's happened_?"

"I'm fine. I found Hiromi's phone–"

"_Yeah, I guessed that. Is everything okay_?"

"Yes, everything's…" She stopped herself, when she realised this was a lie.

"_What_?"

"Well, we've had a few problems," she began hesitantly. "The landline's gone, for one thing."

"_We'd thought so. It's gone down here as well. What else_?"

"The boiler's broken."

"_WHAT_?" There was suddenly an outburst of grumbling from the other end. "_I __**specifically**__ asked them to check it would survive the winter. They told me it would be fine…_"

Now the phone was taken off him and Hiromi's other uncle began speaking. "_Haru, how are you managing there_?" he asked, much calmer than his counterpart.

"Okay, actually. I've taken to wearing several layers and gloves and all that, and keeping a blanket close, so I'm surviving. Baron's made a fire, so it's currently warmest in the lounge."

"_So you're not in any immediate danger_?"

"Of freezing? No."

"_Good_."

Haru remembered their previous phone call. "Have you found anything on Baron's background?"

"_No, we haven't been able to get to the library. We've asked round though_."

"And?"

"_The only thing we found out is that Baron isn't the only ghost there, according to the stories_."

"What?"

"_Yeah, apparently there has always been a white cat there, for as long as anyone can remember. It's said to haunt the castle_."

Haru started laughing. "Yuki? You're telling me _Yuki_ is a ghost too?"

"_I was just telling you some of the local rumours, that was all. As we said, there's probably just a family of white cats that have been around for years. Cats are usually associated with magic and superstition, so I'm not surprised_."

"So you haven't actually found anything useful."

"_It's interesting; is that enough_?"

Haru laughed again. "No, sorry. Do you want to hand the phone over to Hiromi now? I think she wants to talk to me."

The man laughed now too. "_I got that impression too_." There was a pause, then Hiromi's chirping voice travelled down the line.

"_Haru! Are you okay? Is it freezing there? How's Yuki? Is everything else still working? How long do you think it'll be before we can return? Can you stop encouraging my uncles with this ghost nonsense_?"

Haru grinned and resigned herself to half an hour of Hiromi chatter. It was good to hear that voice again.


	13. Laughter

Chapter 13: Laughter

"Are the taps working now?"

Haru peered around the kitchen door to where Baron was dealing with the boiler. "No. It just made a gurgling noise."

Grumbling, he retreated back into the cupboard-like room that contained the boiler. "Well, at least that's some progress."

Haru returned to the sink, where the taps were turned on and she was waiting – perhaps in vain – for them to work. After a moment, she leant out to the hallway again. "Baron, I don't think this is going to–"

She stopped as there was the rushing sound of splashing water behind her.

"Nevermind! It's working now!"

Baron emerged looking tired, but nonetheless pleased with himself. "There. Told you I'd finally get it working again."

"Yeah, but only because you have magic on your side." She peered into the boiler room. "What exactly did you do?"

He reddened. "I have no idea."

"Well, whatever you did, let's hope it fixed it until the snow passes then."

"Agreed." He watched as Haru disappeared up the stairs. "Where are you going?"

"To have a shower, if you must know!" she called back. "It may not matter to you, but I haven't had a shower for the last couple of days and it's getting to me."

"Okay."

Quarter of an hour later, Haru returned; a towel about her shoulders as she dried the last remaining wet strands of hair.

"Feeling better for that?"

"Much, thank you. A little cold, but it was better than no shower." It took a moment for her mind to realise what she was seeing. For the last few days, the pile of dirty dishes had been slowly piling up as there was no water to wash them. Now, however, they were washing themselves in the sink, then being dried by a floating tea towel, and then stacking themselves away. It reminded Haru a little of a scene she'd once seen in a Disney movie; maybe The Sword in the Stone.

"Thanks for doing the washing up," she said when her mind had readjusted to the peculiar scene. "Even if it doesn't look like you're doing very much."

Baron was "sitting" on one of the kitchen chairs casually. Indeed, just from looking at him, it wasn't obvious that he was controlling each and every plate in the kitchen.

"You're welcome. I thought it'd be a bit too much to handle all by yourself."

"Yes, well… thank you," she repeated.

"Cup of tea?" With his words, a steaming mug lifted off the side and offered itself.

Haru grinned. "You read me like a book. Your own blend?"

"What else?"

She took it and sat opposite Baron, leaning back in her chair in a content state. She breathed in the tea-scented fumes. "Everything seems to be righting itself," she noted happily after taking a long draught of her tea. "Hiromi and everyone else is okay, the boiler's working again… all we need now is the snow to melt."

"Your cold has gone then?"

Haru paused. "You know, I do believe it has!" She laughed. "It's probably your tea that's done the trick." She sighed. "Good; I was beginning to tire of being the invalid." She perked up. "Maybe you could show me around the grounds of the castle."

"Me?"

"Who else? Yuki?"

"Have you got the right footwear?"

Haru laughed again. "Baron, my mother prepared me as if I was going to the middle of the Polar Circle, not just a castle in the middle of nowhere."

"Oh. She likes to be prepared then?"

"For the worst."

He frowned a little at that statement, but left it alone.

Haru would open up to him when she decided to, and not a moment before.

"But not right now," Haru added, oblivious to the thought process whirring away in Baron's mind. "I completely skipped revising yesterday, so I really can't afford to skip today too. Well, at least I should do _some_ revision, then I'll feel less guilty about leaving it."

"More psychology?"

"Afraid so."

"Well I can hardly criticise you for wanting to do well in the exams. Do you want me to give you some peace...?"

"No." Haru's hand flew out to his instinctively before she remembered she couldn't make contact. She reddened and withdrew her hand. "I mean, if it's not a bother to you. I enjoy your company," she mumbled, twisting her hands through one another. "It's quite lonely when I'm by myself in this big old house."

He regarded her for a moment, then smiled. "You like my company even though I'll probably sidetrack you from your revision?"

"You sidetrack me from my revision _because_ I like your company," Haru amended. "There's nothing to be ashamed of in that."

"Yes, well when the exams come you may be singing a different tune..."

"When the exams come is a long time away."

"Less than a month."

"You're being pedantic. Anyway," she added indifferently, "you can fit in a lot of revision into one month."

"If you actually revise, that is."

She made a face. "Baron, is there a reason that you sound like you're trying to avoid me?"

He looked horrified. "No, I was just thinking about your exams."

"Oh." Haru sighed and got up, dumping her now empty cup into the washing up bowl. "I'll get started now, if you don't mind."

He smiled. "It's fine."

ooOoo

Watching Baron read was an interesting sight, Haru decided as she peered over her own revision book at him. For one thing he floated a couple of inches off the ground – although if she couldn't see the floor, it wasn't obvious – and the fire could be partially seen flickering on the other side of him. And, another thing was since he couldn't grip the book, he allowed it to hover in front of him instead; just levitating off the ground, with him making no attempt to even look like he was holding it.

"You're meant to be revising," he commented, without even looking up at her.

Haru flicked her gaze back to her revision, blushing, but not before she saw Baron smile to himself.

"All in my own time," Haru mused back to him. After a cautious moment, her eyes were drawn to the ghostly form of Baron once again. She didn't know why, but it was a comfort to have him around. "Anyway, you can't be really reading if you know I'm not revising."

"We ghosts have a sixth sense."

"Uh-hm," Haru replied disbelievingly. "Next you'll be telling me you have eyes in the back of your head."

"Of course."

She smiled to herself and attempted to lean subtly to the side to claim possession of the camera resting on the table. This didn't go unnoticed.

"Put the camera down," Baron said slowly, not bothering to look up from his book.

Haru grinned widely nonetheless. "Cheese!"

He was blinking stars away. "Was that really necessary?"

"Of course," she echoed back to him, pressing a few buttons to bring up the playback option. She smiled again at seeing it was a success. "I want to remember this time we've spent together. Oh, this captured you perfectly."

"When are you meant to be heading back?"

"I've got a week left. That's assuming the snow lets up."

"Oh."

Haru heard the sorrowful note in the baron's answer. "Hey, Baron, I'll try and visit. I'm sure if Hiromi's uncles know that I'm fine with living with a ghost, they won't mind if I come again. Anyway, can't you travel outside the castle?"

"No – I seem to be restricted to this place – including the grounds. If we are to see one another again, you'll have to travel up here."

"Oh." Haru frowned. "That's a shame." She glanced back to her revision book. "At least we've had this time together," she mumbled shyly. "I'm glad of that at least."

The two of them were momentarily lost in thought; daunted by the fact that there was going to have to be a time when they'd have to part ways.

Then, as if breaking from the spell, Baron leant forward and with his magic stole the camera off Haru. "Enough of those thoughts," he laughed; "now it's time for me to get my own back."

Forgetting their previous conversation, Haru lunged for the camera, laughing. "No, don't you dare. I look terrible, don't you dare take a photo!"

She squealed and danced away as the camera flew higher out of reach, but still angled itself at her. Haru huffed. "It's hardly fair when I have no way of making you give in."

"I'm sure you'll think of something," smiled Baron, who was standing at the other end of the room, watching Haru with amusement.

Haru's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I could flush your tea supplies down the sink," she threatened.

"You wouldn't do that."

She pursed her lips, then gave in. "Okay, maybe I wouldn't. I love your blend way too much for that. But it's only a matter of time before I think of something." She glanced back up at the camera. "Have you actually taken a photo yet?"

"Um..."

"Is that a no?"

A look of confusion flitted over his face. "It's an 'I don't know' actually. It should've taken a photo already; I've tried several times so far. I'll try again."

A little red light flashed, but it carried on blinking. Understanding hit Haru. She started laughing and jumped for the camera again. "You idiot!" she giggled. "You've gone and set it recording! You must've accidently flicked a switch or something."

"Have I?"

"Yes – and it's still recording!"

The little red light stopped. "Is it recording now?"

"No, I don't think so." Haru finally managed to reclaim the wayward camera, switching it off. "You've just caught me making a right fool of myself; hope you're happy."

A smile twitched at the side of his lips. "It _was_ rather funny."

"Thanks." She resisted the temptation to check what he'd just recorded, not wanting to admit she was curious. That, and she was quite embarrassed enough about it without having to re-live it through the recording.

She attempted to return to her revision, but her mind wouldn't focus. Eventually she got back to her feet, stretching slowly.

"Had enough revision?"

"For now. You talked of going out?"

"Actually you did." However, after A Look from Haru, he sighed. "Is that a hint?"

"Well, I feel like I've been cooped up in here for ages, so..."

He chuckled. "Go and get a coat." After peering outside, he added, "And gloves. And a hat. And–"

"Okay, okay, I get your point."

Several minutes later, and she was suitably kitted out for a trek to the polar circle, let alone a walk in the castle grounds. She huffed as she looked at herself, then at Baron, who was still wearing his usual suit.

"I feel like a snowman," she said bluntly as she clumsily padded across to the kitchen in her heavy wellington boots. There was nothing light or dainty about her gait; wellington boots were not suited for such traits.

"You look like a very adorable snowman, if that makes you feel any better."

Haru had to laugh at that. "Thanks."

"At least you won't get cold."

"No, but I might just melt."

"You'll be glad of it once we get outside," assured Baron confidently.

"I'll take your word for it." Haru spotted a small bundle of fur watching them. "Hey, Yuki are you coming?"

The cat paused, then shook her head decisively.

"Oh, okay. A little too cold for you?"

A nod.

Haru smiled affectionately as she fuddled with the keys to the back door. "You know, I don't care whether it's stupid or not, but I swear she understands everything I say."

"You're not the only one to say that." Baron looked back at the white cat. "Look after the castle while we're gone, won't you?"

Haru chuckled. "You're worse than I am."

"I think I'm allowed to talk to the cat after so many years of being on my own here."

"Do you talk to the crows too?" teased Haru, but she finally managed to get the back door open and stepped out into the brisk winter air. She gasped happily as the cool wind danced merrily on her skin and across her face and ran joyfully out into the snow-covered garden. "Oh, I've been cooped up inside for so long, I've forgotten how fresh the air is when it's snowed!" she laughed happily, spinning awkwardly on her wellington-boot-clad feet; letting gentle snowflakes drift down onto her upturned face.

"I'm glad you like it. Where do you want to go?"

"Um, you know the grounds – where would be best?"

Baron tilted his head a little in thought.

"I have the perfect place."

**ooOoo**

**A/N: The washing up scene is actually very close to the Sword in the Stone scene as mentioned. I just couldn't resist.**

**Again, sorry for late update; my excuse is partially my mother's birthday and partially the fact that a very dear, absolutey amazing friend is departing today for her gap year and yesterday was my last chance to see her. So I'm a little bit emotionally delicate today, so leave me nice reviews to make me smile.**

**Thanks, and God bless,**

**Catsafari. =^^=**


	14. Bittersweet Tears

**A/N: Today I discovered that I passed my exams and am going to the university that I have had my fingers (and toes) crossed for for the past six weeks so I thought I'd celebrate by posting a chapter today. (Evidently, I know how to party.) I'm so nice - and stupidly, wonderfully ecstatic - that you'll even get a chapter tomorrow, as per usual. So leave a review and make this happy writer even happier by surpassing the hundred-review milestone!**

**Thank you and God bless,**

**Catsafari. =^^=**

**ooOoo**

Chapter 14: Bittersweet Tears

Beyond the well-kept gardens and neat hedges that surrounded the castle; a forest thrived. Wild and loving it, the trees were stripped bare by the thrall of winter, left only as black silhouettes, framing the snow-swept sky. Even in this season though, when the forest was at its most open, its most vulnerable, it kept its secrets. Deadened and decaying bracken blocked long-forgotten pathways; degrading leaves kept the ground covered in a frosty layer, hidden from sight.

Haru trod carefully and as quietly as she could manage, while before her, Baron made not the slightest noise. She was a little jealous of his grace if she was to be truthful; he managed to walk so smoothly while she clumped around in her thick wellington boots, often having to side-step branches and struggle to find good footing, lest she slip.

"Are you okay?" he asked, resisting the temptation to offer a helping hand, for that was one thing he couldn't do.

She grinned at him, banishing any thoughts about their comparisons in grace. "This place is beautiful," she sighed. "It's like it's been taken straight out of a fairytale."

"If you think this is beautiful, you should see it in the summer. Flowers, blooms, blossoms; everywhere! The place becomes alive again."

"I'd like to see that," she replied, slightly quieter. "I'd like to come back then."

Suddenly they both drew quiet, neither relishing the thought of their parting.

He started to move a hand to take hers in reassurance, but stopped when he remembered he couldn't. But Haru smiled gently and moved her hand to rest against his, savouring the slight glow of warmth she could feel through her thickly padded gloves. "We will see each other again," she said, more confidently than she felt. "We're friends, and friends don't forget each other. You've spent too much time on your own." Her eyes flickered down to look at their connecting hands. "Right, where was this place you were going to show me?"

The spell didn't break, but it ebbed a little. Taking his hand away, Baron coughed slightly. "This way; not far now."

Treading along a neglected path, shrouded in frosted foliage, Haru followed Baron, never letting her eyes lose sight of the half-present ghost before her. When they had first met, she hadn't even thought about the fact that she would have to leave. That sooner or later this peaceful existence, tucked away in the middle of the countryside with Baron would have to come to an end. But now, with the holiday halfway through, that fact hung in the air like a bad smell.

She closed her eyes. No, she would enjoy the time she had. Anyway, when she left, it wouldn't be a proper goodbye. It wouldn't be forever. They _would_ see each other again. She would make sure of that.

"Haru?"

She snapped out of her contemplations. "Sorry." She forced a smile. "You said we're nearly there?"

"I did indeed. Come."

Haru smiled genuinely this time and stepped towards Baron. The smile sweetened when the branches blocking her way swayed back like Baron really had swept them aside with his arm; the magic of the place intensifying with that simple gesture. She stepped along the pathway, past Baron and her breath caught in her throat.

"Oh..."

Before her was a small woodland waterfall, but the winter had turned the water to ice, so the waterfall was frozen in a moment. The fresh ice glistened in the weak winter sun; nature's more common, but equally beautiful, diamond, Haru reflected as the ice-covered water drops shone like the real gems. Frozen in a moment, she thought again, like Baron. She glanced away from the waterfall to the ghost standing behind her, waiting for her reaction. Yes, just like Baron, except that the waterfall would eventually move again. Baron was eternally trapped the way he was now.

"What do you think of it?" he asked hesitantly, unsure how to take her silence.

She grinned and moved into a careful hug. "I think it's the prettiest thing I've ever seen," she said truthfully. She brought her head away so he could see the sparkling joy in her maple eyes. "Thanks for bringing me to see this."

Uncertainly, Baron brought up a gloved hand to stroke her cheek; Haru smiled and moved her head as if she could really feel him caressing her cheek, her eyes half-closing in contentment. "You're welcome, Haru. I wasn't sure whether it would be frozen, but I took the risk."

"I'm glad you did. It's so magical."

She sighed and turned back to look at the enchanted scene before her. The seconds ticked by in comfortable silence; each just relishing the other's company.

"Baron, I haven't told you the entire truth," Haru said quietly. "Or, at least, I have failed to mention some things to you. Some important things."

Baron remained quiet, waiting for her to continue. He couldn't force her to speak.

The dark brunette lowered her head, as if examining the intricate patterns that woodland creatures and herself had made in the once pure snow beneath her feet. "Do you remember... that I said once my mother had gone away on a quilting convention and that the floods stopped her coming back for half a week?" She sighed and before he could have a chance to answer, she continued. "Well... that was true. I just... I just failed to mention that my father joined her." A sob threatened to rise in her throat. "I failed to mention that the floods didn't just delay my mother. They took my father from me too."

Baron stepped forward so they were standing side by side. His hand slipped next to her hand and despite the lack of contact, Haru rested her hand in his. She raised her fearful chocolate eyes to meet his emerald ones. "You asked where my father was – he was with my mother. But I couldn't contact them due to the problems that kept cropping up; a bit like the ones we've had here. Then my mother returned home... just my mother. I wasn't even aware of my father's death until then." She dropped her eyes again, struggling to contain her emotions. "I'm scared... I'm so scared that something will happen to Hiromi or Tsuge or someone while I'm not there. That they will return one less in number than when they left and that I wouldn't even know until then."

Baron's heart melted for the young woman standing beside him; his heart longed for him to be able to embrace her, to be able to pull her close and reassure her that everything was going to be okay. But he could only stand beside her, afraid that any words he said would sound hollow. He couldn't even offer a shoulder to cry on.

The tears would fall right through him.

"Baron..."

His hand flew up and raised a single finger against her lips. "Haru, your fears are perfectly acceptable," he said hoarsely. "You simply care for those close to you. That isn't a fault or a weakness; that is a strength. That is something you should be proud of."

She seemed surprised by the force in his voice.

"I know that your current situation here reminds you of your father's death, but they are going to return back safely. I've know Renaldo and Toto for a good number of years; they'll look after everyone. Anyway, in their eyes, you're the one who's at risk."

"Yes, but they haven't got a residential ghost keeping an eye on them," Haru reminded him weakly.

He smiled back. '_So she trusts me_?' "They're safe – you rang them only the other day. If you want, when you can return to the house you can phone them again."

"Thank you, Baron." She moved closer to him to inspect their hands which had become entwined at some point; she wasn't sure when. It was strange, how natural their hands seemed to fit together even without any actual contact made. It was strange, how comforting the simple warmth was to her. Just how comforting his presence overall was really.

"At least this explains your reluctance to believe in ghosts," Baron said gently.

Haru flicked her eyes up to meet his. "No one comes back from the grave," she repeated softly from a time that seemed so long ago from now. A time when she was so sure of such a fact and her beliefs were simple. Now she was having to make allowances for Baron's existence. "I knew my father was dead; I didn't want to nurture any belief that maybe he was still out there. That maybe I had made a mistake."

"Haru, it's understandable."

"Of course, now I see that assumption was wrong." '_And who would ever think I'd end up falling in love with a ghost..._'

Haru picked her head up very quickly. '_Oh, no, no, no, no... I __**did**__ not just think that! He's __**dead**__, for crying out loud..._'

"Haru?"

She hoped she was only imagining the blush that was fast rising. "I'm fine. Thank you... for listening. For understanding."

For the first time she could remember, Baron hugged her instead of it being the other way around. The warmth now surrounding her was so comforting... so much more comforting than any she could remember since her father died...

A tear squeezed past her defences before she could battle it back and fell silently to the white snow beneath. If Baron felt the tear pass through him, he didn't mention it.

"I will _always_ be here to listen to you," Baron promised.

ooOoo

"You don't have to do the washing up," Baron protested as Haru picked up a cloth and started scrubbing at a stain on a dish.

"_I'm_ the one who's eating from these plates," Haru reminded stubbornly. "It's only fair that I do some of it at least, if not all." She nodded to a tea towel hung on a peg beside him. "If you're that bothered, can you dry some of the stuff?"

Seeing he wasn't about to win any time soon, the tea towel lifted itself off the peg and made its way to the various cutlery resting in the draining board.

"The one thing I don't like about winter," Haru started, staring thoughtfully out into the garden outside, "is that it always gets dark too quickly."

Baron glanced to the window, where indeed the landscape beyond was almost completely swallowed up by the fast approaching night. "Well, we've passed the winter solstice, so it's only going to be getting lighter from now on."

"Yeah, but it'll be a while before it's still light at five in the evening."

"Not much you can do about that. Sorry."

Haru grinned. "I know. I was just thinking out loud." She passed a plate across and it rose out of her hands to quickly join the tea towel. She shook her head, smiling. "I still wish you'd warn me before doing that," she told him. "I still think I'm dropping something when it comes out of my hands."

"Sorry. Habit." He grinned with his words.

Haru giggled and flicked some soapy water his way, ignoring the fact that it would pass straight through him. "Well you'll just have to learn, won't you?"

"Oh, I don't know. Old dog, new tricks and all that."

"You're not that old!"

He fixed her with his mint-green eyes. "Haru, I am over a century old. If you can't count that as old, I don't know what you can."

"You don't act old..."

"Maybe I should try harder in future."

"What, to act your age?"

"Why is that so funny?"

Haru was stifling more giggles. "Well, I'll get the wheelchair out now, shall I, _grandpa_?"

He grinned and returned to keeping an eye on the hovering tea towel. "Okay, so maybe you have a point."

"Anyway," Haru added, passing a handful of knives and forks towards him, "technically you're stuck as you were when you died. So you aren't that old."

'_The age gap between us isn't even that bad_,' her mind murmured rebelliously. '_If he was... alive... a relationship between us could even happen..._'

She reddened at that thought. What was going on with her? She turned her attention back to the task at hand. Suddenly though the lights flickered off, then gave out entirely. Haru gave a small screech, to her embarrassment, and grabbed the edge of the sink for support.

"Baron?"

"Relax; I think it's just a power cut." His voice floated out of the darkness, carrying with it a strangely soothing presence. "We get quite a few being this far out. Give me moment."

The darkness began to recede as a glimmer of light grew in Baron's palm, growing in size and brightness. The orb of light, once it was large enough to fill the kitchen with light, levitated out of his hands and hovered below the ceiling. "There, at least we have light now."

Haru lifted a hand and hesitantly let a finger brush the surface. It was surprisingly cool.

"Wow."

Baron seemed pleased by Haru's response. "I'll set some up in each room," he offered. "I don't think I'll be able to do anything about the TV or anything else though."

"No, it's fine. Perhaps I'll actually get some revision done now."

Bathed in the warm light the orb was radiating, Haru's eyes seemed to glow; glistening crystals now present in their maple depths. Seeing his stare, Haru's cheeks flushed a delicate pink. "Hey, Baron, are we going to finish the washing up or what?"

His thoughts were broken by her voice. "Yes, of course." He turned back to the tea towel, but couldn't help wondering what had just happened.

'_I know I like her, but do I like her in __**that**__ way_?' he asked himself. Glancing down at the slender frame of the brunette, he knew the answer to that question. And that confused him more than anything.

'_How did __**that**__ happen_?'


	15. Never be the Same

"_You hold the other half of my heart..._

_You make me whole."_

x

Chapter 15: Never be the Same

"Okay, so guess what this is." Haru brought her hands before the low hovering orb, bringing her thumbs together and flapping her fingers like wings.

"Well that's easy. A butterfly," laughed Baron, watching the shadow animal being cast upon the wall. Haru had some fascination with the light orbs that Baron had now set up around the castle, and she had soon discovered they were good at making shadow animals. Especially since if she knocked the orb she didn't have to worry about burning herself.

"Okay, okay, I'll try another one." She raised just one arm this time and curved her fingers round.

"Well, I can see where the head is but..."

"It's got a long neck, Baron," Haru hinted bluntly.

"Oh." He grinned. "I'm going to guess giraffe then."

"Correct. Um, I think I have another one..." She cupped her hands together, with the bottom three fingers of her left hand being left free.

"Wolf?" Baron guessed, seeing some kind of canine creature cast upon the wall.

"Yep. You're getting better at this." Haru glanced at him. "Do you cast a shadow?"

"No, not solid enough."

"Oh." Haru looked at the wolf head shadow. "So you can't join in."

"I did a few shadow animals when I was... well, when I could still cast a shadow," Baron said. He moved towards Haru and knelt opposite her. "I know a few creatures."

"Oh, okay." Haru started to move away to give him space, but his hands curled around her hands.

"But I'll need to borrow your hands, if you don't mind."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Okay, I trust you."

Even though he couldn't make contact, Haru carefully watched the way his hands moved and responded to the subtle touch of his warmth. His glittering emerald eyes flicked to the wall. "There. What do you think that is?"

Haru laughed. "An elephant? Show me another one you know."

"Well, this one is quite well known." He moved forward and moved her other arm, then concentrated on her right hand, changing it into a head shape.

"You're right, that one is well known. Swan?"

He grinned. "Very good."

Haru glanced to the floating orb. "Can you change the colour of that light?"

"I probably could. What colour would you like?"

"Oh, I wasn't thinking of a particular colour. It was just a thought."

Baron gave a conspiring grin. "Let's see if I can." The orb in the lounge began to pulse and glow like a replication of the northern lights, fading from one colour to another in soft, brilliant hues.

"Oh... that's so pretty," Haru murmured, the lights reflecting in her own eyes that seemed more of a golden shade than their original maple colour now. She glanced at the wall and saw that her shadow swan had fallen apart now, but her hand seemed to be forming another shape now, almost like...

She blushed.

Almost like half a heart.

She gazed down at her hand and found that, even though the shadow didn't show it, Baron's hand formed the other half of the heart. Hesitantly, as if to check what she was seeing was real, she placed her other hand over Baron's, so that the other half would be revealed. The blush intensified when indeed, the heart became a whole on the wall.

Baron had spotted her action, and smiled. The light faded to a dusty pink, so now the shadow-heart seemed to radiate light from it.

"Purely accidental," he promised, his voice a little hoarse. He moved his hand away and now, even though the heart upon the wall was still there, it seemed strangely hollow. Haru's heart cried out for him to complete it again, but she shushed it and brought her hands back to her, cradling them as if something precious was held inside them.

They were close; they were kneeling opposite each other and although their faces weren't intimately close, it wouldn't take much to bridge that gap. The urge to lean closer was very much present and Haru found herself dropping one hand to the floor to support herself as she moved nearer to those emerald eyes that seemed to swallow her whole and leave her heart melting. She placed one gentle kiss on his insubstantial cheek, but didn't move her head away after that, feeling her heart beat a breakneck, almost painful rhythm; sure that Baron could feel her heart hammering away inside of her. Baron just stared back, his eyes wide and – for the first time she could remember – defenceless. His own breath was coming out just as fast as her own breath, and Haru found herself wondering whether ghosts could hyperventilate.

"Haru..."

Anything he was about to say was cut off by the familiar ringtone of Hiromi's phone. Both suddenly moved away as if burned; both groaning a little under their breath at the infuriating timing. Haru jumped to her feet. "I'll get it," she said and hurried out of the room to pinpoint the origin of the tinny jingle, which was found to be in the kitchen.

"_Yes_?" She couldn't stop herself from snapping the word out. Why couldn't they have rung just _five minutes_ later...? Scrap that; five _seconds_ would have been fine!

"_Chicky_?"

"Mr Moon? What is it? Has the power gone in the village too?"

"_No, we've still got power and... what do you mean "too"? Has the power gone there_?"

"Just the electricity. Baron fixed the boiler recently, so at least we're fine for water. And he's set up these, um, light orb thingies, so we still have light," she explained, looking over as Baron entered. "We're doing okay here." A fear suddenly gripped Haru's heart. "Why are you ringing? Has something happened? Is everyone okay–?"

"_Everyone's __**fine**__. Stop worrying. No, actually we have information on Baron_."

"Really?"

"_Yes. By the way, is he there_?"

"Yes." Haru glanced over at Baron again, mouthing "Toto and Renaldo" at him. He nodded in understanding. She turned back to the phone. "Do you want to talk to him...?"

"_No_."

Haru frowned at the short, almost immediate answer. "But you said you had information on his background..."

Baron's eyes lit up, but he waited patiently at Haru's side.

"_Yes, but I think you should hear this first. What has he told you about his past_?"

"Um, not much more than what you told me. It was just a little bit more detailed."

There was a pause at the other end of the line.

"Why?" Haru demanded. "What have you found?"

The pause continued, but Haru got the impression the Moon brothers were exchanging glances. Eventually the phone was switched from the larger brother to the darker one. His smooth voice started calmly down the line. "_Haru, have you got the internet there_?"

"No electricity, remember? Anyway, I don't think you installed internet here."

They must have had the phone on loudspeaker, because Renaldo groaned. "I kn_ew we should've done when we had the chance._"

Toto shushed his brother and turned his attention back to the phone. "_Haru, we have Baron's full name._"

"You do?" Haru turned to Baron and grinned ecstatically.

"_Yes_." There was hesitation that came with that word. "_We would've preferred you to look up the information yourself so you can see the proof, but we'll just have to tell you the truth straight out_."

Without being able to hear the whole conversation, Baron couldn't tell what the Moon brothers were telling her, but he saw the way her hand suddenly tensed its grip on the mobile. "What truth?" Haru asked tightly.

Another pause. Haru was deciding she didn't like this.

"_Baron's full name is Baron Humbert von Gikkingen_," Toto said finally. "_From your information, we managed to track that much down._"

"What else?"

"_Haru, first understand that the records we've found are very old and may not be strictly true_..."

"What else?" she repeated.

There was a sigh of resignation from the other end. Then Toto began to talk low and fast. "_The castle was indeed once owned by a Baron Humbert von Gikkingen_," he started, "_and the Baron was indeed killed. Or, to be more accurate, he disappeared. But there was never any body, so no one could be accused of killing him. However, the two men who were believed to have been the killers went back to the castle a week later – the brother and father of the lady Baron courted – and while there the... the father was killed_."

"WHAT?"

"_A beam was believed to have fallen upon the father and fatally injured him. The son brought him back into the village, but he was already dead. The son was accused of killing his father so he would gain his inheritance and was eventually found guilty. At the time, capital punishment was still around. He was hanged for his believed crime. Nowadays, it is generally believed that it really was a tragic accident that killed the father and the son had nothing to do with it_."

"What does this have to do with Baron?" snapped Haru.

"_Just listen. In his defence, the son claimed to have seen the ghostly form of the missing Baron. He claimed that the ghost caused the beam to fall._"

Haru was shaking her head. "No... he would never do anything like that..."

"_Haru, be careful around Baron. We trusted him, but now we're thinking that maybe... maybe he isn't as safe as we first thought.._."

"He's never given me any reason to doubt him."

Baron's eyes widened as he heard Haru's responses, the stress in her voice painfully audible. He placed an insubstantial hand on her shoulder, but she moved away, clutching the mobile closer to her face.

"_Haru, think about it_," Toto continued. "_The two men were responsible for his death – don't you think that was enough to make him lose it? It makes sense.._."

"Maybe the beam really was an accident; have you thought of that?" retorted Haru angrily. To her side, Baron stiffened, guessing the exact topic of conversation. Haru heard the two men at the other end protesting, but she ended the call.

"Haru, what were they telling you?" Baron demanded, rounding on her as she shakily dropped the phone onto the kitchen table.

Haru looked up to Baron with haunted eyes. "Tell me it isn't true," she whispered. "Tell me you didn't kill Louise's father."

"Haru..."

"Baron, tell me it isn't true!" Her eyes were wide and fearful. "Please, I need to be reassured you would never do... that you would never... you would never _kill_ someone..."

Baron's hands moved to the Haru's shoulders, but with his hands being nothing but air, she easily broke it. "Haru, please just trust me..."

"Then tell the truth!"

His eyes were wide, but instead with shame and guilt. He tried to reach out to her, but she flinched away.

"Please," she whispered.

A barrier had sprung up between them, but would the truth tear it down or only make it higher?

"Haru, I will tell the truth, but you've got to promise to listen to me the whole way through..."

"I hardly think you're in the position to bargain."

"I'm not trying to bargain. I'm begging you to listen. Haru, after everything... after all the time we've spent together... at least give me a chance to explain myself..."

"So you did kill him," she said hollowly.

"I..." Baron swallowed. "Yes." He looked away shamefully. "Yes. I was responsible for his death."

He paused, waiting for Haru's reaction. But she just stayed where she was, eyes downcast as she felt the walls of security that she associated with him shatter around her. Her arms were around her in a form of a self-hug. "Go on," she said hoarsely.

"It was a week after my... after my death," Baron said, watching the brunette for the slightest inclination of a change. "They came back, and I heard them talking. I wasn't quite visible yet – it was the period in which I was becoming visible, but I changed from visible to invisible regularly. However, they still failed to notice me at first. I heard them discussing that Louise had gone missing... no note, no arrangements... nothing. I was angry that they would have the nerve to return here after everything they'd done, but I didn't do anything at that point. I wanted to hear as much as I could about Louise, you understand. And then... her father mentioned the inconvenience."

Baron's face struggled to contain the emotions that were bubbling so near the surface. "He said that he had arranged for Louise to marry some rich noble, but her disappearance now meant that they would have to postpone the wedding." His eyes closed, as if trying to shut off the memories, but they wouldn't remain at the back of his mind. "I suddenly became angry. Really angry. They were treating Louise as some possession rather than the wonderful woman she really was. She was just some item, some pawn, to be used to gain power and influence. They didn't even seem to care that she was missing. So I snapped."

His eyes flew open, and now the emerald depths inside them were swirling. Haru found herself unintentionally captured by the raw power as she realised his true potential. If he ever chose to use his magic against her... she wouldn't stand a chance.

He saw her fear and closed his eyes. "I wasn't aware that I let my magic loose in my anger, but because of it, a beam came loose from the ceiling. It killed Louise's father and very nearly killed her brother too. I regret what I did, but I can't change it. I never meant for it to happen." He opened his eyes, and this time his gaze was steady. "I'm sorry; I should've told you about something so important. It's not a part of my past that I'm proud of, nor is a part of my past that I like to relive. I shouldn't have hid something like that from you."

He met her gaze, now waiting to see what his confession would do.

'_Please forgive me_. _I __**need**__ you in my life_.'

**ooOoo**

**A/N: I don't know whether the quote at the start was from anything, but I heard it once and it reminded me of this chapter. I don't think it is from anything. Thanks for all the reviews, you wonderful, brilliant readers; you've made this writer very happy.**

**Also, as of next week, I shall be on holiday, most probably away from the internet, so updates will be, well, sporatic, if as true to my usual updating schedule as I can manage.**

**Many thanks and God bless,**

**Catsafari. =^^=**


	16. Don't Walk Away

Chapter 16: Don't Walk Away

"Haru? Please speak."

She was shaking. For a moment Baron was unsure what to make of this until he saw the tears dropping to the floor. "No."

His heart would've jumped into his mouth if it could've. "What?"

"No," she repeated. "No, you shouldn't have kept something like that from me."

Each word tore a hole in his heart.

She slowly brought her chocolate eyes to meet his, filled with an emotion he'd never seen present in her before.

Betrayal.

"I trusted you with my past; with the truth about my father, with the truth about my fears. I made myself so vulnerable to you... and now I feel so foolish for putting that trust into someone I knew so little about. I opened up about everything that I could hardly speak to my mum about... and yet you held back your biggest secret."

Baron moved forward, but although she didn't move away, her head recoiled. He backed off again. "Haru, that was something I had never told anyone... something I still struggle with today. I've never had anyone since my death quite so close to me as you. You've got to understand–"

"Why?" she suddenly shouted. "Why have I got to understand? I understand you didn't trust me. When were you going to tell me? Were you _ever_ going to tell me?"

He flinched as if she'd physically slapped him. "I was getting round to it."

"When were you planning on "getting round to it"?" she asked him flatly.

Baron started to talk, then bit back his answer. "Haru... please, just give me a chance to explain myself..." he pleaded eventually, and this time he didn't try to move closer to her. "I have spent... _so many_ years... by myself. Since my death, I can probably count the number of people I've spoken to on one hand. I'm not..." He swallowed and started again. "I'm not very good with people. Not anymore. There have been years in which I haven't seen a single other human being. I find it hard to trust people. I'm not..." He closed his eyes and tried again when the words wouldn't come. "I'm haven't gone undamaged by my time alone. And I hate that, but I have never become so close to anyone the way I've become close to you. You gave me a reason to carry on and actually look forward to each day. You mean so much to me–"

"So why did you hide the truth?"

"I hid the truth because I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. If I could change what happened... if I could change what I did... I would. But I don't have that choice. I know it doesn't excuse my fault of hiding the truth for you, but perhaps it is part of the explanation." He moved forward and his heart soared when she didn't flinch or move away. Her hands moved to take his of their own volition, drawing comfort from the strange contact – or lack of contact – and she found the strength to make eye contact. "I only have the choice to accept what happened and to ensure it never happens again. I would _never_ harm you."

Haru's mouth opened, and then closed. She didn't respond for several seconds, a fierce battle between her heart and mind raging inside her. But she wasn't sure which was fighting for what side... whether her heart was screaming to trust him again, or whether it was still screaming from the betrayal. Or whether her mind was muttering that she couldn't trust him, or whether it was saying that his words were making sense.

"I know," she said finally. Her voice was coarse as it held back the emotion. Her eyes blinked back her fear and she said, "I know you would never harm me."

"Haru..."

"But, please, _never_ hold anything like that from me again," she continued, her voice falling to a plea. Her face fell to face the floor, her eyes staring lifelessly at their joined hands. "I don't want to have my trust shattered again."

She needed him to be able to pull her close in a hug; to be able to feel for once his solid presence, but that was a need that would never be fulfilled. She wondered what a real hug, what a real embrace would feel like. She wondered what it would be like to be able to truly cry on his shoulder, to feel her tears fall onto his shoulder instead of through it.

For not the first time, she wished he was alive.

Baron did the only thing he could; he embraced her, although it was not the solid embrace she wished for. But it still brought a little warmth to Haru's heart. Enough to make her anger slip away to be replaced by the reassurance of his presence.

"How long did you say you'd been here?" she whispered hoarsely; her voice struggling to drag out the words, her throat thick with the swell of emotion.

"Long enough," Baron replied, equally tender.

"You mean you've forgotten," Haru said, understanding suddenly flooding her. And with the understanding, pity hit her. She moved away so she could see his face, ignoring their proximity. "You've lost track of the years," she said softly.

The pain returned to Baron's eyes; he partially turned his head away, discomfort present in the action.

Haru brought up one hand to his face and guided it back round to face her; Baron responding not to the touch, but so that her hand wouldn't go through his skin. But it still brought his eyes back to meet hers. "Oh, Baron... I'm so sorry. You have no idea how long you've been here, do you?"

"Like I said, it's been long enough. There is no reason to keep track of the days when every day is the same." He placed one insubstantial hand over Haru's one which rested gently on his cheek. "Your visit has given me a reason to count the days though. I don't know what I'm going to do when you leave."

"Move on," Haru whispered. "We're both going to have to move on."

"I don't want to move on from you. I don't want to be left on my own. Again."

Haru's eyes creased with pity. "I'm sorry. We have no choice. I cannot stay here and you cannot leave. If I... if I could do something, I would. But I have school and exams and..."

"I understand. You have a life."

Haru tried to protest, but Baron brought one finger against her lips.

"No, Haru, it's true. You're going to grow into a beautiful young lady one day and you're going to have a wonderful life. You're going to end up married to some guy who truly loves you and will tell you so every day. I cannot be a part of that. I am stuck in this... in this limbo. While you grow older, I will never change. When you die, I will still be exactly the same way I was when you first met me. There is nothing to be done about that."

Haru blinked back the tears that were rising. "Whoever I marry is going to have to be very impressive if he's going to take your place in my heart," she murmured.

Baron froze. It was the first time she had worded any feelings for him that ran deeper than friendship and although he knew he returned those feelings...

"Haru..."

"I know, I know. It's stupid. It still doesn't stop me feeling this way about you. Which is why discovering you'd kept something from me hurt so much."

Baron sighed and smiled weakly at the brunette. "Yes, I suppose it is stupid. But, then, that makes us both idiots."

Haru's eyes widened. "I didn't think you felt like... like that..."

"I tried not to make it noticeable for the obvious reasons. I thought it would add a little awkwardness to our friendship."

Haru snorted a little under her breath, despite the lack of dignity in the action. "I'm stuck in an ancient castle with only the residential ghost and cat for company. I didn't really think it could get much weirder. I obviously didn't count the chances of falling for said ghost." She smiled up at Baron. "It's a good kind of weirdness though."

"Well, I'd hate to be any other kind of weirdness."

Haru giggled and Baron found himself relaxing, just glad to have Haru back to normal. He was going to have to count his lucky stars that she forgave him so easily. But then, maybe her deep-running feelings for him were on his side.

The mobile on the kitchen table spewed out a metallic ringing and both ghost and human tensed. Baron glanced to Haru, who was still in his embrace, waiting to see how she was going to react.

"That'll be Hiromi's uncles," Haru said in a small voice. "They'll want to know why I hung up on them."

"You should probably answer them," Baron offered, although he didn't want the lovely brunette to move from his arms. "They'll be worried about you."

"Yeah. I know." She smiled weakly at him before slipping over to the table. Her hand hesitated over the phone, tensing into a fist and back again as she tried to imagine how she was going to explain all this to them. eventually, the answering machine kicked in.

"Hi, this is Hiromi; sorry I can't get to you right now, but if you'll leave a message, I'll be sure to get back to you." Hiromi's recorded voice chirped cheerfully from the mobile. "Leave a message after the beep."

"_Hey, kiddo, what's going on there?" _the larger uncle demanded down the line_. "Why aren't you answering? You just hung up; has something happened–_?"

Unable to cope with Renaldo's unanswered questions anymore, Haru grabbed the phone and pressed the answer button.

"_Why did you hang up in the first place_?" he continued to rant.

"Mr Moon..."

"_Is everything okay there–?_"

"Mr Moon!" Haru shouted down the line.

He immediately stopped his interrogation.

"Mr Moon, sir," Haru began again, but taking care to sound respectful this time, "I just needed to talk things over with Baron. I wanted to hear the story from his view–"

"_Did he kill the father_?"

Haru hesitated. She looked over at Baron and smiled somewhat sorrowfully his way before turning back to the mobile. "I'm afraid he did. But," she added quickly, to cut off anything the uncle was about to say, "he's explained it. And I still trust him."

Haru giggled slightly when she felt Baron's arms hug her from behind. She covered the mouthpiece of the mobile with one hand as she turned to face Baron, a truer smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I mean it, Baron. We've all kept things hidden. We've all made mistakes. And I should judge you on what I've seen of you here, not of some rash decision you made when you were young. And from what I've seen of you here, you've never been anything less than a perfect gentleman. So that is how I shall judge you."

She moved the mobile up to her face. "Mr Moon, I'm fine. There's nothing for you to worry about here. The snow is beginning to melt now, so it shouldn't be too long before you can make it back. Hope to see you soon." She finished the call and put the phone back on the table.

"Did you really mean everything you said?" Baron asked.

"I said I did, didn't I?" she reassured him. "I know I had trouble with trusting you when you first admitted the truth, but I think I can handle it now. I may not like the truth, but there's nothing I can do about it. So we should just move on from it." Haru hugged him again, savouring the comfort it brought. She whispered in his ear, "And did I mention they found out what your last name was?"

Baron brought his head back suddenly so he could meet Haru's chocolate eyes. "I don't believe you mentioned it, no."

"Apparently, your full name is Baron Humbert von Gikkingen."

"Von Gikkingen..." He grinned a little ruefully. "Hardly the easiest name to swallow, is it?"

"Sounds even harder to spell."

"Well I doubt anyone's going to be writing a letter to me any time soon, so I shouldn't worry about the spelling."

Haru giggled again and placed a rare kiss on his cheek before moving away from him, a violent blush blossoming over her features. Baron raised a hand to his face. "What was that for?"

"To say sorry for my failure to listen to you when you tried to explain." The blush intensified and she hesitated by the kitchen door. "I'm going to turn in for the evening now, so I'll see you tomorrow."

Feeling the blush still present, Haru ran out and up the two flights of steps, trying to combat with the small, yet highly significant, action she'd just done. Trying to work out _why_. Once she had made it to her room, only then did she lift a shaking finger to her lips.

'_Damn, I've got it bad for him_.'

ooOoo

"Haru, the phone's ringing!"

Haru jumped out of her bed, pulling her dressing gown over her pyjamas hurriedly. "I know, I know! I can hear it!" Then she added to herself, "Who's going to be ringing up at half nine? I know it's not that late, but still..."

From the ground floor, Baron shouted, "I expect it's just Toto and Renaldo checking you're still okay!"

"I told them I was fine!" Haru shouted back, hurtling down the top flight of steps.

"Be careful on the steps!"

"I am!"

Haru rushed down the final flight of steps, muttering something about wishing Baron had set up more than just one light orb for the bottom set of stairs as she stumbled from step to step. She hadn't had enough time to tie the dressing gown properly around her, so she had one hand pulling it tight about her, with the belt trailing after her. However, as she was nearing the end of the steps, the strap caught about her feet and sent her spinning.

She screamed as she fell, automatically bringing her arms about her head to protect it from harm. But the angle of her fall warned her she wasn't going to get out of this without injury.

"Haru!"

She saw Baron appearing at the bottom of the steps, his eyes wide; too shocked to do anything.

She tensed her muscles, waiting for the fall to come to a sudden stop, but something changed around her in that instant before her fateful meeting with the floor.

And...

She never remembered hitting the floor.


	17. A New Kind of Alone

Chapter 17: A New Kind of Alone

The answering machine of the mobile finally kicked in.

"_Hello, is anyone there? Haru, you hung up on us again – everything's alright, isn't it? We were just ringing to say what with the recent good weather, it's expected that tomorrow we'll be able to head back to the castle. And it's forecasted that the weather is going to be fine for the next few days as well, so when you head back home you shouldn't have any problems with the roads, assuming the snow doesn't pick up again. Haru, please pick up the phone and let us know everything's fine there..._"

Baron still stood at the bottom of the staircase, staring up at where Haru had once been.

But which was empty now.

ooOoo

'_Klutz_.' That was the first thought that came to Haru's mind when she finally came around again. '_Can't believe I fell over my own dressing gown. Oh well, that'll teach me to be more careful in future_.' She winced. '_Baron was always warning me not to run on the stairs. It seems he was right_. _As usual_.'

Out of habit, she rubbed the back of her head, nursing a bruise.

She stopped.

Nursing a bruise that wasn't there.

And now she began to take in her surroundings. She was kneeling at the bottom of the stairs, just as she would expect, but there didn't seem to be a single hurt from the fall. But she had definitely fallen unconscious... or had that happened before she hit the ground?

No... she hadn't hit the floor...

Was that Baron's doing?

She suddenly looked up, remembering the resident ghost. She rushed to her feet as she saw his pale outline drag itself into the kitchen. Hadn't he heard her scream? She remembered him appearing at the bottom of the stairs, but he wouldn't just leave her unconscious on the floor... would he?

She followed his form and watched as he shakily brushed one hand over the phone, which was still blaring out Toto's voice.

"_Haru, you should pick up the phone, Hiromi's really worrie_–"

As Baron's hand passed over the phone, it went blank, switching off immediately.

"Hey, Baron, I was going to answer that," Haru pointed out. He didn't react to her voice. He didn't even turn around to acknowledge her. "Baron..."

She ran round to stand in front of him. "Baron, aren't you even going to–?"

She stopped. Baron hadn't responded to her voice, but something else had caught her attention. Her right hand felt as if she'd placed it in lukewarm water, which was weird, because she didn't know why it would feel like that...

Upon looking down at her hand, she let loose a muffled squeal. It was muffled because at seeing her right hand, her left hand had flown to her mouth.

Her right hand had gone through the cupboard.

Slowly she retracted her right hand and passed it over her left hand, relieved to feel it solid to her skin. But then she passed a glance back to the cupboard and gradually tried to lean her left hand against the wooden surface. Now prepared for it, only a squeak escaped her lips when her fingers disappeared into the wood.

She glanced down to the floor and groaned.

Her feet weren't touching the floor.

They were floating a few inches above it.

Just. Like. Baron.

Strangely although she couldn't feel any support, she seemed able to walk – as she'd proved before the realisation had hit her – but it was more of a hovering act than anything else.

"Okay, _think_ Haru," she hissed to herself, now left alone in the kitchen since Baron had dragged himself into the lounge. "Panicking won't get me anywhere. What am I sure of?" She glanced down at herself. "Right, first off, this happened when I fell down the stairs. I'm pretty sure it happened before I hit the ground therefore..." She sighed and passed one hand over her eyes. "Well, by that logic, I'm not dead. Can't remember breaking my neck. But, on the other hand, I seem to be stuck in the same... state... as Baron is. Right, that's a start. On one hand alive, on the other hand dead. Secondly, I can't touch anything and Baron can't hear me."

She groaned. "Okay, maybe I should tackle those two facts one at a time. One, I can't touch anything. That falls under the discovery that I'm in the same state as Baron. Two, Baron can't hear me. It doesn't seem that he can see me either. _Why_?"

She was pacing, but her mind was so caught up that she was failing to notice that in her pacing she was walking through the end of the table at regular intervals. "Come on, come on, _think_. Baron mentioned something about when he first... well, when he first become like this." She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. "Oh, of all the times to have a mental block... He said that he was invisible at first, and that about a week afterwards he became naturally visible." She groaned. "Does that mean Baron won't be able to see me for the next week? What is he going to think of my disappearance?" She looked down at her hands. "Note to self though, I can still see me." She held her hands up to the light and saw the light orb on the other side. "But I'm certainly not opaque. _Great_."

The now ghostly brunette walked through to the lounge, making sure to walk through the door, and watched Baron who was kneeling on the floor. She stepped up to him and tried to place a hand on his shoulder. As she was expecting, it passed straight through him. She wondered if when she became visible, she would be able to hug Baron for the first time properly.

Her tawny friend was cradling the camera in his hands, or, at least, the camera was hovering in his hands. Tears were falling from his eyes, but they only fell through the floor, as he ran his hands over the camera that had caught so many of their moments together.

"Baron..."

Speaking was useless, but still his name slipped out from between her lips.

A soft meowing from behind them interrupted both their thoughts and both of them turned around to see the white form of Yuki watching them. Baron got up and walked to the kitten; Haru moving hurriedly out of the way so he wouldn't end up unintentionally walking through her.

"Hello, Yuki," Baron said quietly. "I guess this means it's just you and me again." He tried to block off his tears, but they still slipped past his guard all the same. "That is... unless the same thing that happened to me has also happened to her... I hope not, for her sake. I don't want her condemned to the same fate as me, stuck to watch everyone around you grow old and fade away while you can only.. can only watch."

Yuki mewed again and this time turned her periwinkle eyes to where Haru was standing. She stared as the cat met her eyes. The cat seemed very aware that she was there...

The white cat meowed as she turned back to Baron, but this time it was more insistent.

Baron smiled weakly at the snow-white cat, but his eyes were full of pain.

"Baron, I'm right here!" Haru shouted, her heart longing for him to hear or see her. "Look! Please look! Baron!"

For the first time since the fall, tears began to fall from her face. Her shouts subdued into sobs instead and she closed her eyes; not wishing to see the teardrops fall through the floor.

"Baron, I'm here... I don't understand what's happened... I need you right now..."

ooOoo

"Haru, we're back!"

The front door was flung open as the large form of Hiromi's Uncle Muta entered the castle. Hiromi ran past her uncle and started flitting from room to room.

"Haru! Haru! Oh, it's dark here..."

The light orbs that had previously been stationed in just about every room were now absent; the castle was left in shadows cast by the weak winter sun.

Toto flicked a switch to no effect.

"Haru did say that there had been a power cut," he reminded, heading to a cupboard instead and bringing out half a dozen candles. "We should contact someone and get that fixed."

Hiromi was now glaring up the stairs, which were shrouded in darkness. They didn't look very inviting to climb.

"Haru, stop messing around! Come on; we've been away for quite long enough. We're not in the mood for hide and seek."

The candles were distributed and Toto headed to the kitchen, quickly discovering the discarded mobile phone. He switched it on and listened to the one missed message.

"_Hello, is anyone there? Haru, you hung up on us again – everything's alright, isn't it? We were just ringing to say what with the recent good weath–_"

He deleted the message when he heard his own voice.

"She hasn't checked her messages since then in that case," he noted.

"Yet someone turned the phone off while you were talking," Renaldo reminded him.

"Yes, but who's saying that was Haru?" Toto reminded him. He placed the mobile back where he had found it and saw that the three teenagers were staring at him and his brother as if they had just lost their minds. He grinned. "You should probably go and check the rest of the house," he suggested. "Haru's sure to be somewhere."

The two boys left almost immediately, but Hiromi stayed long enough to give her two uncles a searching look.

"Go on," Renaldo prodded. "Take a candle with you and see if you can track down some spare torches as well."

Hiromi only hesitated a moment longer, then nodded and moved into the lounge.

Toto sighed and looked at his brother. "What do you make of this?"

"You want the truth? Just plain weird. She seemed like a sensible kid – not the sort to get on Baron's wrong side or do any stupid tricks," he replied under his breath.

The darker brother nodded. "That's the impression I got." He glanced around the kitchen, as if expected a pair of green eyes to leer out of the darkness. "So... where is she then?"

"And where is Baron? If he's hurt her..."

"Haru seemed pretty confident she was fine..."

"Yeah, but people can be mistaken..."

"Hey, Uncle Muta! I've found my camera!"

Renaldo huffed. "Hiromi, you're meant to be looking for your friend, not–"

"It might tell us what happened to her, though. And there's hardly any space left on this card too. She seems to have used it a lot recently."

The two brothers again exchanged glances. Renaldo raised an eyebrow. "Does Baron even show up on camera?"

"We're about to find out."

The young brunette came running into the kitchen and the larger uncle quickly snatched the camera off her.

"Hey!"

"Sorry," he grunted, but he was already skimming past photos he'd already seen. Then he stopped. "Hey, birdbrain... do you recognise him?"

Toto ignored the usual insult as his brother angled the camera screen his way. He struggled not to react, but very slowly pealed the camera out of Renaldo's grip. "He... looks _very_ familiar, don't you think...? I wonder what other photos she got..." He flicked a button and a similar picture to the last one turned up, but this time the baron's eyes were open. He flicked the same button and a new photo appeared.

Both the uncles' eyes bugged.

"Well... she wasn't kidding when she said she'd met him..." Renaldo said eventually. "It looks like something else caught their attention though."

Hiromi was watching the conversation with increasing confusion and annoyance. "Hey, Uncle Muta, what are you on about? Which guy are you talking about?"

There was a pause. It seemed it was too late to cover their mistake up.

Hiromi huffed and snatched the camera back. "Hello? Aren't you going to answer me? Who–?" She stopped when she saw the photo. It was the third one of Baron, but it was the first one of Haru and Baron together. Hiromi's jaw shamelessly dropped.

"Who... is _he_?"

Damage done, it seemed truth was the only policy left. Toto eventually sighed and said, "Hiromi, you know we joked about the ghost...?"

"Yes, but no one ever took you seriously. Well, Haru claimed she didn't, but then she started seeing stuff..." Hiromi made a face remembering Haru's response when the darker brunette had believed she had seen the face of the ghost in the window. "Why? What has this...?" She trailed off and glanced down at the photo. "Oh no, you are not going to try to fool me into believing that this–" she gestured violently to the picture "–is the ghost. Is it some scheme that you and Haru cooked up together? I can believe you'd do such a thing, but I thought Haru had more common sense..."

"_Hiromi_," hissed Toto before she could get into a full rant. "Who else do you think it is?"

"Must be some guy from around the area." The girl peered at the photo. "Hot guy," she added brazenly, "but a guy from around these parts all the same."

"Well, he _is_ local," Renaldo muttered.

"_Not_ helping," Toto muttered back. He turned to his niece. "We would introduce you to Baron himself, now the secret's out, but he doesn't seem to be particularly sociable today."

"Yeah, can you blame him after Chicky's gone missing?" his brother murmured mutinously.

Hiromi watched her uncles, one eyebrow raised sceptically. "And do you really expect me to believe that?"

"To be honest, no. But it is the truth."

The eyebrow lifted yet higher. "Okay, if it'll end this charade, I'll say I believe you. Now where's Haru?"

"Kiddo, read my lips. We. Have. No. Idea." Renaldo said each word as an individual sentence. "If we did, we wouldn't be doing this wild goose-chase."

ooOoo

Haru watched her best friend converse with her uncles; the ghost-girl's own heart slowly plummeting as she saw Hiromi's last hopes that this was all an elaborate joke gradually crushed. Haru raised her head to the ceiling. "Baron, why won't you tell them what happened?" she whispered. "I can't do anything. It's down to you." Her eyes closed, as if wishing for when she opened them again she'd see Baron before her. It turned out that even when she was in the same state as him, she couldn't see him when he chose to be invisible. Which he was currently choosing to be.

She looked back over to the small gathering in the kitchen. "Why won't you help them?"

Yuki jumped onto one of the kitchen surfaces beside Haru and meowed. Haru got the distinct impression that the cat was talking to her.

"Hey, kitty," she murmured. "You trying to tell me something?"

Making direct eye contact, Yuki nodded.

Haru laughed softly. "Now what could that be, I wonder? You're the only person who can see me right now, and I can't even understand you. How ironic."

The white kitten's tail flicked impatiently, as if Haru was failing to see the obvious. She jumped down to the floor and ran to the door, glancing back to see if Haru was following. For good measure, she mewed again.

Unsure, but unwilling to ignore the only help she was going to get, Haru laughed nervously again.

"Okay, kitty. I'm coming." She followed the cat, but cast one last look to her best friend. A small thorn of sorrow pricked her heart. "I'm sorry I never got to say goodbye," she whispered. Again, her eyes shut to block out all the pain that was threatening to engulf her. "It seemed Baron was wrong. Growing up and getting married is way out of the picture now."

Even if falling in love wasn't.


	18. Eureka

Chapter 18: Eureka

"_No, don't you dare. I look terrible, don't you dare take a photo!_" From the camera came the noise of Haru squealing and giggling at the same time. "_It's hardly fair when I have no way of making you give in_."

Hiromi laughed as she watched the tiny picture of Haru in the video, who was jumping for the camera that was just out of reach.

"_I'm sure you'll think of something_," a smooth tenor voice replied, although the owner sounded like he was chuckling.

Hiromi frowned. "Is that him?" she asked her uncles. They both nodded and gestured for her to shush so they could hear the rest of the video.

"_I could flush your tea supplies down the sink_."

"_You wouldn't do that_."

"_Okay, maybe I wouldn't. I love your blend way too much for that. But it's only a matter of time before I think of something_."

The video came to an end.

"Now do you believe us?"

"Hey, I could only hear him – that doesn't prove anything..."

"It looks like there's another video – do you want to see that one too?"

Without waiting for an answer, Renaldo pressed another button and the sounds of voices laughing started up again from the camera.

"_You idiot! You've gone and set it recording! You must've accidently flicked a switch or something_," Haru's voice giggled again. Now the camera was angled so the tawny stranger could be seen standing at the other end of the room, seemingly amused by the brunette's antics.

Unseen to the others; hidden by his spell of invisibility, Baron stood at the far side of the room, listening to moments captured from only a week ago. Tears invisible to the three people on the sofa rolled down Baron's cheeks, flowing freely from his emerald eyes and falling unheeded to the ground.

How could so much have gone wrong in so short a time?

ooOoo

"Here? You brought me here?" Haru demanded, seeing the white cat stop before the door to Baron's study. "What, is Baron in there?"

Yuki shook her head decisively and pawed the ajar door until she could slip through into the room beyond. Haru sighed and followed, forcing herself to walk through the door and ignore the novel feeling of passing through wood. Baron may have had years to accustom himself to it, but Haru was still growing used to it.

The room was steeped in shadows, so much Haru would've been afraid she was about to walk into something, if that had been an option. Nonetheless, she tried to tread carefully.

"Um, Yuki? Hate to burst your bubble, but I can't see a thing..."

From somewhere in the room, the cat gave an impatient meow.

Haru hesitated. "Uh-hm," she responded, idly wondering what she was agreeing to. "The matter still stands that without a torch or candle or one of Baron's light orbs, there's not much use this room is..."

Yuki had suddenly started meowing right in the middle of Haru's sentence. Haru squinted. "What? Something I said was relevant?"

An affirmative meow. Or, at least, Haru assumed so.

"Okay. Torch?"

No answer.

"Obviously not. Candle? Is there a candle in here?"

Again, no answer.

"Okay, stupid question I suppose. No one would risk a candle in a room of paper. Um, one of Baron's light orbs?"

Lots of meowing this time.

"Okay, so that was obviously it. Meh, I wish I could understand Cat. It'd make this a lot easier."

Yuki gave a response that made it sound as if she whole-heartedly agreed with that statement.

"So, it's the light orb thingies. But Baron can't see me. Or hear me," she added. "So he's not going to just make a light orb here for the sake of it..."

Yuki was being quiet, apparently waiting for Haru to reach the right conclusion.

"I don't suppose _you_ know how to make a light orb?" Haru joked.

Even in the darkness, Haru could feel Yuki giving her a condensing stare. Haru coughed awkwardly. "Okay, yes I know. I need to concentrate." An idea crept to her. "You're not suggesting that I can make a light orb...?"

The white cat was mewing madly now.

"Alright, I get it, shush before someone downstairs wonders what the commotion is."

Trying to dredge up memories of how Baron had created the light orbs, she cupped her hands together and tried to imagine the same light orb resting in her palms. A few moments passed by. Nothing happened.

"If this is only a joke," Haru muttered to Yuki as she frowned down at her hands, "I will _not_ be amused."

Silence from Yuki's corner didn't give much indication as to the cat's motives.

Haru started becoming frustrated. "Come on. _Light_!" As she growled the last word, an orb identical to the ones Baron had made lit up her hand. In her surprise she almost stumbled back, but as it was, she only walked through the desk instead. She looked down at her submerged legs and groaned. "_Great_, just great. Urgh, I'm still not used to that. It was weird enough sometimes to watch _Baron_ walk through stuff but as to actually walking through something myself..." She grumbled a little more as she walked out of the desk.

Yuki was giving her a withering look.

"What?"

As explanation, the cat flicked her tail towards the orb that was floating above Haru's palm. Her expression read something along the lines of, "_You've just done magic for the first time and you're worried about walking through a table_?"

"Oh, yeah." Haru turned her attention back to the orb and when she concentrated the orb levitated out of her hand and hovered below the ceiling so the study was lit in a soft golden light. Now she turned back to the cat, who was had leapt up to the desk, waiting for the question that was inevitably about to come.

As Haru looked between the cat and the orb she'd just created, the question came. "How... did I just do that...?"

The cat stared unblinking back at her.

Haru sighed. "I bet you know the exact reason, don't you?"

Nod.

"This is just as annoying for you as it is for me, right?"

Again, nod. This was slightly fiercer. Yep, this was _really_ infuriating for her.

"Right, so I suppose it's only a matter of asking the right question now, isn't it?" She let out a long sigh. "We're going to be severely limited to only yes-or-no answers, aren't we? That is, unless you know sign language?"

Another withering look was sent her way, followed by a significant glance down at her paws.

"Yes, I know. Dumb question really. Sign language is made for hands, not paws," she muttered to herself, as if she needed reminding. "Oh well, it was worth a shot. Right, first question – have I always had magic?"

The cat shook her head. No.

"No, okay. Is this my magic even?"

No.

"It isn't? Who's is it then?"

If a cat could raise an eyebrow, Yuki would be doing so.

"Oh. Yeah, it's got to be yes-or-no questions. Right, let's narrow it down. So I'm borrowing magic?"

Nod.

"Do I know the person who's magic I'm borrowing?"

Big nod.

"That narrows it down. Is it Baron's?"

Yuki was beginning to look like a bobble-head dog with the way her head was nodding now.

"So I'm borrowing Baron's magic..." hummed Haru, a frown crossing over her face. "That explains... not a lot. Sorry."

Yuki gave a small groan of frustration and her shoulders visibly sagged.

Now Haru began looking around the room. "You brought me in for a reason, right? So I'm guessing the answer is in her, isn't it?"

Watching through her large azure eyes, Yuki nodded.

"But I'm betting you're not sure where the information I need is?"

A shake of her head.

"You just know that the information should be here somewhere?"

Nod.

"Okay, this is going to be one long slog ahead of me." Haru rubbed her hands together, not sure whether she was relishing the challenge or not. "Thank goodness I've got all the time in the world."

ooOoo

"Baron! Baron!" Renaldo growled and hit the wall again. "Baron, show your sorry hide right now! We want to know what happened to Haru!"

Tsuge and Machida watched this scene worriedly, beginning to wonder whether Hiromi's uncle had completely lost it. Hiromi seemed convinced by their story – or, at least, she was pretending to be – but the two boys still weren't entirely sure what to make of this new development. The two uncles had said they might as well stand and watch, since they were going to be making quite a racket in order to drag Baron's attention to them.

"We know you're listening, so stop hiding already!"

"I'm here," a soft voice murmured.

All five of them snapped their heads round to the source of the voice. In the other doorway to the lounge, a lone figure stood. He raised his eyes to the group.

"She wasn't lying," Hiromi muttered, seeing the brilliant green shade of his eyes. "She really did see him..."

"Right, what have you done to–!"

Baron held up on gloved hand before Renaldo could make the decision to charge him down, despite the fact that such a charge would result in nothing. However even the movement of one hand seemed to shake him. "I'm going to explain, although even I'm not sure what happened," he said quietly, almost in a whisper. There were lines on his face where previous tears had travelled. It looked like more were threatening to follow the same path. "And I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Hiromi repeated sharply. "Sorry for what?"

ooOoo

Concentrating furiously, Haru tried to direct a hesitant book to the desk. "This is a lot more difficult than Baron made it look," she said between clenched teeth.

Yuki watched her, but didn't add anything.

"I suppose he did have a long time to perfect it, but still..." Haru visibly relaxed when the book collapsed heavily on the desk. Yuki gave a disgruntled look at it as it shook the table. "Hey, at least I didn't miss the desk," Haru retorted. She glanced back down at the book. "And this probably isn't even the right book." She bit her lip as she tried to make the front cover open to reveal the contents page. She must have concentrated too hard since the book flew entirely off the desk, almost knocking Yuki out. It would've done if she hadn't leapt out the way.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I've never tried this sort of thing before," Haru quickly apologised. She paused before she tried to levitate the book back onto the desk. "Is Baron's magic his?"

Still hissing slightly from her near collision with the book, Yuki nodded.

"Oh, just wondering. Why would his magic affect me then? I mean, the only thing we have in common is that we're – now – both stuck like this. Well, I seem to be stuck in the early stages of this state, being invisible and all, but we're both..."

Haru trailed off as she saw Yuki was staring at her.

"That's it, isn't it?" the brunette suddenly asked excitedly. "His magic has shared with me because of this, right?"

ooOoo

Baron turned to the girl. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said honestly.

Hiromi's eyes widened. "Loss?" she echoed. "You don't mean...?"

The two uncles growled. "He better not."

Shamefully, Baron's eyes dropped to the ground. "She slipped while running down the stairs," he started in a subdued voice. "I came running when I heard her scream, but I couldn't get any spells together fast enough to ..." He swallowed as the memory played itself back to him. "I couldn't get any spells together fast enough to... to stop her from falling. And then... she just wasn't there anymore. She just disappeared."

"Your explanation for why better be good."

"It is the only one that makes sense. I believe that... that she is now in the same state as me."

"A ghost?" Hiromi shrieked. "You mean she's _dead_!"

"When I ... became like this, I couldn't be seen for a week by anyone. That would explain her disappearance."

"But there's no body," Renaldo reminded him gruffly.

"I know. That's why this is the only explanation that even makes half-sense. I don't know why this happened to me, but there was never any body. I assumed that was because my killers had hidden my body, but maybe what happened to me took my real body too. In which case, when Haru... when Haru... died... whatever changed her also affected her body." He shook his head. "I don't think there is going to be a body to bury."

ooOoo

Haru's confusion heightened when Yuki nodded, then shook her head.

"What? What do you mean yes and no? I asked whether I share some of Baron's magic because of what's happened to me. How can that be neither yes nor no?"

Yuki waited for Haru to stumble across the answer she wanted, unable to provide it herself.

Haru bit her lip thoughtfully. "So I'm partially right... or is that not it?" She watched the cat carefully for a reaction. "Do you mean I've got it the wrong way round?"

Nodding. Lots of nodding.

"So... what's happened to me was caused by Baron's magic? In which case, did he share his magic with me before I fell?"

No.

"After?"

No.

"During?"

Yes.

"So as I fell, Baron's magic shared... or joined or whatever... with me, and that's why I'm like this?"

Nod.

ooOoo

"Oh... oh God," muttered Renaldo, horrified. "What are we going to tell her mother?"

"I'm sorry," said Baron again. "I really am. I never meant for this to happen. Goodness knows I warned her enough times about the stairs..."

"So is Haru in the castle, just not... solid?" Hiromi asked, trying not to think too hard about her lost friend. "Could we see her again?" The hope in her voice begged for this to be an option.

"If what's happened to her is the same thing that happened to me, then I'm afraid she won't be visible for a week. By then you will be heading back."

"We could stay!" Hiromi said hurriedly. "Couldn't we, Uncle Muta? Uncle Toto?"

The two men looked torn in their decision.

"How... are we going to explain this? There isn't even a body..."

Baron hung his head. "I don't know."

ooOoo

Haru considered Yuki's answer. Well, that was one less thing to worry about. "What kind of magic must Baron have been messing around with for it to alter death?" she mused aloud.

Yuki looked horrified. Haru suddenly doubted her assumption.

"What is it Yuki? Was his magic not focused on death at all?"

Apparently it wasn't.

"So why..."

Haru stopped. She leant forward to the cat. "Am I dead?"

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Next week I will be starting university - this means travelling down on my updating day, major upheaval of routine and confusion for the next couple of weeks as I find my footing. Chapters will still be posted, but it may vary a little from my usual routine. Thanks for all the understanding - this fandom, I've found, is a very encouraging, kind, understanding fandom, so thank you - and I hope your summer holidays were good.**

**Catsafari. =^^=**


	19. Understanding at Last

Chapter 19: Understanding at Last

Haru's eyes widened when the cat gave a very deliberate shake of her head.

"I'm not dead?" she whispered.

Yuki slowly shook her head once.

"I'm alive?"

Haru's mouth opened and flapped useless for a couple of seconds.

"What about Baron? Is he alive?"

Nod.

Haru just squeaked at that.

"And he never realised? So he wasn't actually killed by Louise's father and brother – but he assumed he was from the memories he had of that day? Like..." Her eyes widened more, if that was possible. "I don't remember hitting the ground," she murmured. "I assumed I did... but I didn't, did I? This... whatever "this" is... happened before I hit the floor."

She groaned. "But what's the connection...? This happened to Baron before he was stabbed and this happened to me before I hit the ground." She frowned. "I could have actually killed myself falling down the stairs... in fact it could've been very likely. Is that it?" She looked to Yuki to confirmation. "Both happened under life-threatening circumstances – is that why this happened?"

The cat grinned for the first time in a long while.

"What happened to me and Baron... it saved us, didn't it?" Haru was grinning now too. "We thought it meant we were dead, but it really granted us life." She was moving away from the desk, pacing as her mind tried to fit these new ideas, new concepts in. She stopped and brought one hand up to her lips as she bit her fingernails in thought. "When Baron was going to be stabbed... his magic flared up to protect him, am I right?"

Nod.

"And it stuck him like this – in this limbo to keep him safe."

Back to the nods.

"That's why in the first week he couldn't be seen – it was to keep him safe in the immediate danger. But a week after the danger had passed, the magic lessened its protection and made him visible again," muttered Haru, the explanation now becoming ever clearer. "It however kept him in this ghost-like state of being unable to touch anything – so nothing could harm him. It also seems to have halted the aging and other processes, like eating, and preserved him the way he is currently. I can see why he thought he was a ghost." The grin disappeared now. "I didn't think magic could do that," she said. "Why, it's a way of cheating death. Surely magic doesn't usually do this sort of thing often?"

Yuki shook her head.

"No? So something's gone wrong." She laughed tiredly to herself. "Of course something's gone wrong," she said, shaking her head at her own foolishness. "If this was going fine, then Baron would have found a way to reverse his current state." She suddenly stopped. "There is a way to reverse this, right?"

Yuki seemed to have no answer to that.

"Baron would know," Haru murmured. "But he doesn't know that he's not dead and I have no way of communicating with him..." She glanced down at the desk, which was covered in various pieces of stationary and then an idea hit her.

"Matilda!"

ooOoo

"We trusted you to keep her safe!"

"Uncle Muta, he probably did his best," Hiromi said in an uncharacteristically small voice. She kept her eyes low, scuffing her feet against the carpet, as she struggled for words. "Haru was always twisting an ankle or spraining her wrist or something back home. This wouldn't be the first time she's almost killed herse–"

"The difference is that this time she _has_ killed herself!" snapped Renaldo back to her. He raised one sausage finger at the ghostly form of Baron. "_You_ were meant to be keeping her out of harm."

"Believe me, I know. It just happened too fast."

"And now she's stuck like you... probably with no idea what's happened or why..."

Out of the corner of Baron's eye, he saw the solitary form of Yuki stride purposely in. The white cat jumped up to a table and meowed deliberately to her left. Remembering that the cat always seemed to know where he was even when he had made himself invisible, he looked to the same spot Yuki was.

Standing next to Yuki, Haru let out a small gasp as Baron's eyes flickered right to where she was standing.

"Can he see me?" she whispered to Yuki. She wasn't entirely sure why she was whispering, since no one could hear her, but somehow it came naturally.

Yuki shook her head.

"Then why...?"

"Haru?"

The brunette squeaked as Baron said her name.

"I thought you said he couldn't see me!" she accused Yuki.

The cat just shrugged.

Baron was moving forward now, his eyes trained on the spot that Haru occupied. "You're there, aren't you?"

"Baron," Toto said slowly, "no one's there."

"No... you can't see here, but..." Baron murmured softly and his hand went out, stopping unknowingly just beside Haru's cheek. A small smile slipped onto his features. "But she's there."

Haru lifted up her hand to cover his, a slight glow of surprise setting inside her when she found his hand felt just the tiniest bit more solid than anything else she'd felt since taking on this ghost-like state. Perhaps when she became visible, he'd be solid to her.

She'd like that.

The smile grew a little on Baron's face as a slight warmth covered his raised hand. "Yes, you're there, aren't you?" he repeated. "I could've guessed you'd be watching all this."

'_I've learnt so much that will change all this_,' Haru thought to herself, feeling herself sinking into his emerald eyes. '_Something that will turn us back to flesh and blood. But I need to get you to understand first_.'

Her eyes moved round the room for something that she could use to communicate with them. She decided on the pen and paper that was discarded to the side. Concentrating, the two items rose and moved to the centre table.

"Um, Baron... please tell me you're doing that..." Hiromi said slowly.

Baron moved his eyes away from where Haru was and saw exactly what the lighter brunette was referring to. "That's... not me..." He turned quickly back to where he guessed Haru was standing. "Is that you, Haru?"

Haru, unseen and unheard, turned to Yuki. "Can you tell him yes?"

The white cat gave a rare, if slightly knowing, smile and started nodding and meowing to the baron.

Surprised, Baron turned to Yuki. "I'm assuming that is a yes."

"Wait, the _cat_ can see Haru?" Hiromi demanded. Unlike the two other teenagers, she seemed to be taking the ghost business in her stride.

"Apparently so. Haru, have you always had magic?"

Yuki shook her head on Haru's behalf.

"Right..."

Haru had moved away from Baron so she could take a closer look at the pen and paper, in order for her attempts to be more precise. The pen still wobbled precariously on the paper, despite this. "I got this idea from Roald Dahl's _Matilda_," Haru said to Yuki, "but Baron was right when he said anything like this takes a surprising amount of co-ordination." A frown crossed her features as the pen nib pressed dangerously hard against the surface; an ink blot spreading slowly across the page. "This... isn't... going... to work!" she growled, groaning when, with her last two words, the pen nib snapped in two.

She glowered at her failed attempt, which only consisted of one large ink stain and a broken pen. "We're going to have to try another tactic," she said needlessly. "You have any ideas, kitty?"

Yuki shrugged again, but now Haru's eyes had been caught by Hiromi's mobile that had been moved onto the table. '_Maybe pressing buttons will require less prowess with these powers than moving a pen_...'

The mobile's screen lit up, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. Each button slowly sunk inwards as the 'new message' option was selected and words began to appear on the screen.

"Oh, Haru, by the way, it's on predictive," Hiromi said quickly.

The mobile paused, as if Haru was considering this. Then words continued to form on the screen. Baron moved towards the mobile – and incidentally, Haru – so he could read the words as they appeared. He smiled down to his right; able to feel the slight warmth that suggested he was right beside Haru. Then he started to read out the message to the rest of the group. Being in text style, it was a little fragmented.

"_Baron. Sharing magic with you. Not dead_."

Baron stopped and stared down to where Haru was. "What?"

The mobile prodded him to bring his attention back to it.

"Right, sorry, I'll carry on reading. _Not dead. Neither are you. When about to be stabbed, magic flared up. Protected you. Put you in this state. Still alive_."

Again, he stopped. "Haru, how did you realise this?"

The mobile gave one word. "_Yuki_." Then it quickly continued. "_When fell down stairs, magic protected me too. Baron, __**we're not dead**_."

Shakily Baron glanced from the mobile to each person in the room. Then back to the space where Haru was. He began to go through the same steps as Haru had done, working out what had happened until he had reached the same conclusion as she had earlier. He stared a little longer. "I suppose that is possible," he finally said. "It would explain ... quite a bit..."

"_Is there a way to reverse this_?"

"I... don't know. I didn't even think such a thing could occur. I'll have to go through my books if I'm to work out exactly what's gone wrong though." With that Baron left immediately, leaving the rest of the occupants staring at the space where they guessed Haru was.

"H-Haru?"

Haru smiled at her oldest friend. The mobile floated over to Hiromi and hovered before her.

"_Hello Hiromi_."

Hiromi's eyes finally brimmed with tears. "So it _is_ you!" She looked like she wanted to embrace her friend, despite being unable to see or hear her or even feel her, but she kept her feet where they were. "Baron will find a way to reverse this, right?" she asked in a small voice. "Won't he?"

Haru's smile widened. "_I trust him_."

ooOoo

"Oh, so you've found me then?" Haru glanced round as the small form of Yuki pushed her way into the room. "I just wanted to get away from everything else for some time to think." She sighed and looked up through the slanted window to the clear winter sky beyond. "I know this is Louise's room, but it's strangely comforting, don't you think?"

The white cat gave a subdued meow and sat beside the brunette. Haru smiled down at her and then returned her gaze to the room around her. "I wonder what happened to her... to Louise, I mean. She must have been a wonderful lady for Baron to be so much in love with her. She didn't deserve the end she probably got. I hope she survived."

Yuki was strangely quiet in response to Haru's thoughts.

Haru moved closer to the portraits, taking in the features of the pale woman. She smiled a little wanly as she looked to the two cat dolls. "I suppose if the orange one is meant to be Baron, the white one is probably meant to look like Louise. She made a pretty cat." She laughed a little and glanced back down to Yuki. "The doll even looks a bit like you. What with the white fur and blue eyes. Why, I'd even be tempted to say that if the doll came to life as a real cat, she'd look exactly like..."

She trailed off.

Yuki was crying.

Haru's mouth once again flapped open uselessly. An impossible idea entered her mind. Toto's words finally came back to her.

'_Apparently there has always been a white cat there, for as long as anyone can remember. It's said to haunt the castle_.'

Haru was suddenly finding it hard to breath. No... It couldn't be...

"Louise?"

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Early chapter today because I'm travelling down to university tomorrow. Thanks for all your patience over the past weeks with my irregular times and lack of response... Again, I couldn't ask for a better fandom. I take my hat off to you guys.**

**God bless and thank you.**

**Catsafari. =^^=**


	20. Impossible Things

Chapter 20: Impossible Things

Slowly, oh so slowly, the cat nodded.

"Oh... _Louise_... what happened to you?"

The tears the white cat had held back for too many years were beginning to flow. But, unlike Baron and Haru's tears, they didn't fall through the floor but created a tearstained mark on the cream carpet.

"This is why you disappeared, isn't it...?" Haru whispered. "Was this your own doing?"

Louise/Yuki shook her pale head.

"Is this joined to what happened to Baron?"

She nodded.

"And he never realised that you were...? Oh, Louise... I am so, _so_ sorry. Can this be undone?"

Tearfully, Louise only shrugged. She had no idea.

"You've stayed here with him, but never been able to talk to him or even get him to realise your true identity... That's worse than Baron's fate... You must've gone nearly mad..."

Still sobbing, she didn't respond.

"We have to tell Baron! Make him realise who–"

Louise violently shook her head this time.

"But, Louise..."

The cat shook her head again.

"Why...? Don't you want him to know? Or are you waiting until Baron's found a remedy to this before telling him?"

At the last question, she nodded.

"Oh... okay. I guess I understand."

Haru looked back up to the cat statuette that mirrored the real Louise so perfectly now; unsure of what the feelings that were running around inside her were. Baron would surely want to return to Louise once he realised he had the chance to start anew with her... without having to worry about her family this time. This could be the fresh start he deserved... so why did her heart feel so heavy about it?

'_Selfish_,' she mentally scolded herself. '_If you loved Baron as much as you believe you do, you wouldn't care whether he was with you or not, as long as he was happy. If he wants to be with Louise, then you will just have to stand back and... and.._.'

And watch her own heart shatter.

Seeing her human friend so distressed, Louise nudged a paw in Haru's vague direction. Despite the lack of contact, it was enough to break Haru loose from her thoughts. She wiped her eyes in a feign of tiredness. "I'm sorry... it's just... it's just a lot to take in..."

"Haru! Haru!" Baron was suddenly shouting across the house joyfully. "I've found the solution!"

The brunette wiped her eyes one last time. "Well, it seems as if we might be returning to normal soon," she whispered. "_All_ of us."

ooOoo

The study suddenly became very crowded with the bodies of five people, not counting Baron who was insubstantial, and although the room could take that number, it was hardly comfortable.

"Could you back out into the corridor?" Baron asked briskly. "Haru won't be able to get through otherwise."

"She's only air," Machida reminded him bluntly.

"Yes, but unless you want her to be walking _through_ you, I suggest you give her some room."

With that comment, they parted quickly.

The white cat arrived soon after and took her place on the desk so she wouldn't be trodden on by the five pairs of feet.

"Is Haru with you, Yuki?"

She nodded – an action she was doing commonly nowadays – and glanced significantly to her left.

"Okay, good. Haru, I think I've tracked down what happened to us. Or, to be more specific, what happened and how it can be reversed," said Baron, watching the space to the white cat's side. "I believe that when my magic... "flared up" to protect me originally, some of the magic bound itself to an item of some sorts. That's why I can't return either of us back to normal. It would also explain why I cannot leave the castle grounds – I can't go far from it. I expect that would also apply to you. Not that we've tested that yet, but hopefully we won't have to."

"Have you worked out how you can get you and Haru back to normal then?" Hiromi asked impatiently.

"It would seem that all I would need to do is break said item and the magic returning to me should reverse all the effects that the magic flaring up in the first place had."

Haru gasped and looked down to Louise. "If you became a cat at the same time as Baron became like he is now... then when we find that item you'll also return to human..."

Louise let her tail swing from side to side uneasily at that, but her periwinkle eyes shone with a naked longing.

"How on earth are we meant to know what the item is?" Renaldo asked gruffly. "It could be anything."

"Not quite. From the sound of it, the item must have been close at the time when my magic flared up, and it should also be something which I am emotionally attached to."

"And where did it happen?"

"Louise's room."

The painful memories of that night were threatening to engulf him; Haru could see it in his eyes. She reached out one hand and placed it on his arm. He seemed to sense the change even if he couldn't physically feel the contact, and glanced over to where she stood. "Thanks," he murmured.

"Then what are we waiting for?" demanded Hiromi. "Let's go look!"

Baron held up one hand before the young brunette could rush out of the room. "I would appreciate it if just I went to look. And Haru," he added, smiling gently to the white cat's left. "Anyway, with you five also there the room would be overcrowded."

"Oh, yeah. I guess."

The five of them watched as the ghostly figure and cat left the room.

ooOoo

'_Something he was emotionally attached to..._' Haru repeated in her mind. She sighed. '_With this room, I expect everything's precious to him, so that doesn't really narrow it down that much_.'

She glanced around the room, her eyes coming to a stop at the small bookcase. Every item there could hold a memory – the conch shell was probably picked up from some idyllic walk he and Louise had spent together; the necklace was probably given to Louise from Baron; the pictures were a memory in themselves...

And then her eyes were inescapably drawn to the cat statuettes... the ones Baron and Louise had worked so hard together over... the ones whose eyes sparkled with a life of their own...

She turned to Baron, who was wandering from one item to the other, his eyes lost in another time as he finally came head-to-head with the memories that he had spent so long avoiding; memories that had haunted him for as long as he had haunted the castle.

His hands would keep on moving out to items, as if wishing to hold them so the memory would become more tangible. But he knew his fingers would only go straight through them. Hopefully that would soon change though.

Louise seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Haru, although there was a lost, faraway gleam in her azure eyes. She sat to the side of the two cat dolls, like an extension of the set.

"Louise, can you bring Baron's attention to the cat statues?" Haru asked quietly.

Mutely, Louise nodded. She started mewing and pawing at the dolls.

"What is it, Yuki?" Baron's eyes alighted on the two statuettes. He groaned. "Of course." He stepped forward, but then stopped. "We're going to have to shatter them, aren't we?" he asked in a surprisingly small voice. "All that hard work we put into them... and they're going to have to be broken..."

'_You might get the chance to create another doll with Louise_,' Haru's mind muttered to Baron, wondering how he was going to take the appearance of his old sweetheart. '_That is, if all goes well._'

"I suppose... I suppose it'll be worth it..." However his voice said he wasn't sure. If it was just his life that was on the line, Haru doubted he would be able to bring himself to do it, but since she was also involved, she saw he wasn't going to back down. She placed a hand on his arm again, hoping he could feel the comforting action.

"I guess it's just a question of which one is the item now..." He levitated the doll that held the same eyes as him. "I suppose there's only one way to find out..."

Haru glanced back down to Louise. Did she think that one was the right one? Even as the white cat saw Haru's gaze, she gave one subtle, sorrowful shake of her head.

Haru's face creased in sympathy. "Okay," she whispered. The white cat doll rose up and nudged the Baron cat doll out of the way.

"Haru?"

She made the white doll nudge the other one more insistently this time. She only wanted to have to have one broken. Although she wished this didn't have to be an option at all.

"Haru... are you sure...?"

When the Louise doll didn't move, Baron saw she was certain.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"So do I," Haru whispered. "So do I."

Baron stared down at the statuette before him, hating what he was about to do. "Please let this be the right choice..."

Louise jumped off the bookcase and retreated to the far end of the room.

The hovering statuette's sky-blue eyes lit up and the white fur shone far brighter than any light Baron had ever been able to conjure up before. The two colours intermingled and intensified, until they were the only colours filling the room and not even the doll could be seen behind it.

Then the light suddenly died.

The statuette became nothing more than dust.

This time the change was painful; to Haru it felt as if someone was setting fire to every fibre of her being. Her whole body now felt clumsy and heavy as gravity claimed its right to her and dragged her down to the ground. She was kneeling on all fours, panting heavily as the floor beneath her hands became solid and hard. Finally it gave her support again. She felt as if every moment she'd spent in her ghost-like state was finally catching up with her and pounding into her every ache and pain she should've felt.

Finally it stopped and the scream that she hadn't even realised she'd released came to an end. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and once again they fell onto the floor rather than through it. She wanted to collapse, but her mind, however numb it was, was trying to tell her something different. Her mind was trying to make her away of the twin screams coming from around her. She looked up to see Baron collapsed in a kneeling position like she was, but he had lived through many more years in his ghost-state and it looked like every single year was taking its revenge on him.

Haru dragged herself towards him and wished she could find some way to numb the pain. He had gone past the screaming stage now, but every limb was shaking with the effort to keep himself from collapsing against the floor; silent tears flowing down his face which was contorted into an image of pain.

"Baron? Please respond," Haru murmured hoarsely. "Let the pain end..."

She looked down and saw her own hands were shaking. She didn't want to have to watch him suffer but looking away almost felt like betrayal.

"Please let it stop," she whispered.

After what felt like an eternity, Baron's breathing slowed. The pain released him.

"Baron?" Her question was said through her tears.

He finally dragged his head up and their eyes met. Haru's breath caught in her throat. His eyes before had been spellbinding, but now they were solid, they were mesmerising. She felt herself sinking into those emerald depths.

He lifted one shaking hand and caressed Haru's cheek, wiping away the tears that remained. She leaned into the contact, placing her hand over his and savoured the feel of his skin against hers. A weak smile grew on Baron's face as he felt the curve of Haru's mouth tilt up into its own smile. Both were too weak to say much, but suddenly, physically and emotionally tired from it all, Baron pulled Haru into an embrace and for the first time ever, Haru found herself able to lean against him, drawing strength from the support.

"I never thought I'd be able to hold you," he murmured, his own voice still hoarse. "Never did I ever imagine that I'd be able to join the living."

"Today's just been filled with the impossible," Haru answered back, equally soft in voice, but her voice became a little muffled as she buried her head into his shoulder.

"Do you want to add one more impossible thing to the list?" he offered and Baron placed a finger beneath her chin and brought her head up to his; bringing their lips together in a sweet kiss.

Haru's heart spun and her mind threw all logic out of the window. He was _kissing_ her. And here she was, thinking she'd have to battle out Louise for...

Louise.

Haru suddenly brought her head back, breaking the kiss. A little breathlessly she added, "There's another impossible thing you should probably be made aware of." She slowly got up, bringing Baron to his feet and motioned to the corner she'd last seen Louise run to. Only now there wasn't a cat there.

There was a young lady.


	21. Louise

Chapter 21: Louise

"Louise?" Baron's word came out as a disbelieving whisper. "Louise? Is that really you?"

The slender blonde woman picked herself slowly off the floor and Baron quickly ran to her side.

"No, don't try to get up just yet; you'll still be weak from the change. But... how?"

Shakily, the woman laughed and just motioned to Haru. "She'll explain a little."

Baron's eyes snapped to Haru. "Haru... you knew about Louise?"

"Only recently," she mumbled.

"Why... why didn't you tell me that she...?"

"I think she didn't want to make you hope that she'd be able to return to normal. She didn't want me to tell you – I did offer."

"But still..." he continued, turning back to the beautiful young lady in his arms, "how did you end up...?"

"Small and furry?" she offered, smiling. "I have a theory, but it's not much."

"All your other theories were correct," Haru pointed out. When Baron turned to her curiously, she added, "Louise was the one who made me realise that we weren't dead. By asking the right questions, I finally reached the right conclusion. I don't understand why Louise ended up like this though... we didn't get that far before you found the solution."

"I believe," Louise started, "that when you were attacked, your magic did several unorthodox things. Not only did it protect you and bind part of itself to the statuette, but it also attempted to protect me, since you cared for me." No one noticed that she had carefully said "cared" instead of "loved" but if they did, they didn't comment. "But since I wasn't in danger – not immediate danger anyway – and I wasn't even close by, it protected me differently to how it protected you. I believe... that because your magic bound itself to that particular item, it affected me so I would take on a similar appearance. But, like you Humbert, I didn't age and I doubt that I actually needed to eat, although I ate to avoid suspicion."

"You've had a long time to think this through, haven't you?"

"I came back here and pretty soon realised that all wasn't as it seemed. With that, I tried to understand what had occurred. And I wasn't about to accept that you were dead," Louise added, smiling gently up into those familiar green eyes. "No matter what you thought."

"You always were very interested in how my magic worked," Baron replied fondly and hugged the blonde close. "Seems all those hours explaining and pouring over books paid off."

Louise's smile deepened as she received the embrace she'd missed for too many years; savouring the feel of familiar arms around her. "Seems so," she replied softly.

Haru stood awkwardly to the side, feeling like she was intruding on the reunion, but unable to leave without passing straight by them. "Louise, how was it you could see me?" she asked quietly. "Not even Baron could."

"I think I've worked out that one too – although I'm not sure. I guess it had something to do with being a cat – all the extra-sharp senses and all that – and also being joined by Humbert's magic. Probably a mixture of the two."

"Oh, probably." Haru watched the pair together and felt her heart sink. The worst thing was the knowledge she should be overjoyed for Baron. "I'll see you downstairs," she mumbled and sidled round them, finally able to escape through the door. She hurried down the stairs, but stopped when she came to the first floor landing. Leaning heavily against the wall, silent tears threatened to overwhelm her.

"What's wrong with me?" she whispered. "They're practically made for each other – you can see it. Louise has spent several lifetimes waiting by Baron's side, even if he didn't know it... surely she deserves this happiness?"

Baron had never said simply that he cared for her the way she cared for him... although he had admitted it, he hadn't said it plainly. And she probably couldn't measure up to Louise... especially not in Baron's eyes. Especially not after several lifetimes' worth of reliving those memories he retained of the beautiful blonde.

And they were perfect for each other. What did Haru have that could possibly make Baron want her over Louise?

A sob escaped her lips and she covered her face with her hands. It had been simpler in some ways when he had been in his ghost-state and they thought they knew nothing could come of their feelings. Now a relationship was possible, but it was down to choice rather than fate that now separated them.

And that hurt more than anything.

ooOoo

Baron heard the door unintentionally slam shut and suddenly his thoughts dragged him back to the brunette he'd slowly been falling in love with for the last week. He turned to the lady he was embracing and now his heart began to tear in two with the choice he never thought he'd have to face.

Louise saw the look and instantly understood. She gave him one last hug and placed a tender kiss on his cheek before murmuring, "Go after her, Humbert."

He tensed. "Louise..."

She smiled softly. "You've spent too many years reliving the past. It's about time you saw you had a future."

"_You_ were once my future."

"Once. Humbert, things have changed in that time. _We've_ changed."

"After all the years you've spent by my side and I didn't even know..." He was cut off as Louise placed one slender finger on his lips.

"I'm not going to guilt-trip you into anything," she said gently. "That was my choice and my choice alone. I saw the way you were with her... I'm not going to take that away. Anyway, you love her right?"

"Of course."

Louise leant in. "So what's the problem?"

He opened his mouth, then found no argument would come.

Louise smiled knowingly. She placed a final kiss on his cheek, for old time's sake. "Then go after her," she repeated softly.

Baron studied Louise's face and then slowly a smile slipped onto his features. He pulled the blonde into a hug. "Thank you, Louise."

"It's okay," she whispered back. She watched him get up and leave; only choosing to wipe at her eyes when he had gone. "It's okay. I can see what she means to you."

ooOoo

Haru heard running footsteps coming down the stairs towards her and she couldn't find it in herself to stay to find out what they had to say. She started along the corridor; her feet picking up into a run, but then she heard Baron shout out her name.

"Haru!"

He sounded so _happy_ – who was she to spoil that?

"Haru!"

Suddenly Baron caught her hand and twirled her round; his hands gripped her waist and spun her round through the air as if she were a ballerina. He brought her to a stop so they were standing beneath one of Baron's light orbs; the air around them shimmering with the soft golden light. And then, suddenly, Haru wasn't concentrating on the light anymore, but rather on the proximity of their faces, and then she forgot about that and focused rather on the fact that his lips were meeting hers. Surprised, scared, exhilarated, she went with what her heart was urging her to do, and fell into the moment.

When the kiss ended, she found words would not come. Baron smiled a little ruefully at her speechlessness. "I caught you off guard then?"

Dammit, why couldn't she breathe properly?

"It seems you did."

He smiled yet more at her breathless answer; his eyes sparkling with a life she hadn't seen before.

"Louise...?"

"Is fine with this," he finished smoothly.

She stared a little longer into his eyes then, blushing furiously, buried her head into his chest. "Thank you, Baron," she whispered.

"For what?"

She looked back up at him. "Just for everything. Come on, we should be heading downstairs now. Everyone else will want to know what happened."

ooOoo

"Haru! So you did it!"

Haru laughed as her oldest friend dragged her into a bear hug. "Yep, Hiromi, we did it. Now... would you care to release me?"

"Hehe, sorry."

Tsuge came next, offering a hand to her. "It's good to have you back."

Haru regarded the hand then looked up to the owner of it. "Come on, Tsuge. You've known me for a lot longer than that."

He laughed and offered a hug instead. Haru now laughed too and took the hug from her closest guy-friend. Then she turned to Machida. She smiled once, thinking a little embarrassedly of her feelings for him when they'd originally arrived at the castle. When he offered his hand, she didn't protest; only taking it in a formal handshake. "This trip was fun," she said honestly. "We should do this more often."

"With an additional certain someone towing along, of course," Hiromi added, smirking knowingly towards Baron.

"Of course," Haru echoed, grinning towards Baron. She motioned for him to step forward. "Hey, are you going to hide in the corner or introduce yourself?"

"Since they already know me, that would seem a little redundant," he replied, but stepped forward all the same to Haru's side. He threaded an arm around her waist, drawing her close.

"Well, it's good to have you back, Chicky." Renaldo ruffled her hair affectionately. He grinned over to Baron. "Don't worry; I won't ruffle your hair too."

"That sets my heart at rest," Baron replied dryly.

Haru turned to the rest of the group and began relaying their story, with the help of Baron whenever he felt she'd missed something out, although after a few raised eyebrows at his interruptions, he decided letting Haru finish the story herself was the best policy. He did notice though the absence of either kiss from the story, but he didn't bother to try to amend that mistake.

That was personal.

ooOoo

Louise hadn't moved from her spot on the floor when Toto arrived in the room. She didn't try to get up; she only murmured without looking round, "Who's there?"

The dark man stopped, his hand still on the handle, as his eyes took in the pale beauty before him. "Toto, ma'am. And you must be Louise."

She turned round. "So Baron's explained it all, has he?"

"Actually it was mostly Haru but... Baron... helped..." His voice trailed off as he became absorbed by her azure eyes; a brighter blue than the clearest summer sky. "I'm sorry – I didn't think anyone was up here. If you want, I'll go–"

"No, you can stay. I don't want to be a nuisance or anything..."

"You're not a nuisance." Then he quickly added, "I mean, you don't look like the type of person who would be... you know... a nuisance..." He paused, then gave up and just sat down beside her. "You're Baron's fiancée, aren't you?"

"Was. I _was_ Baron's fiancée," she amended.

"Oh. Of course. And you're... okay with that?"

"I'm managing, if that's what you mean."

"How could you find it in yourself to... let go of Baron like that?"

Louise smiled gently at him. "Because if you love someone, if you truly love someone, you will let them go."

"So he gets his happy ending... but what about you?"

The lady laughed delicately. "I suppose I should just count myself lucky I've returned to human. It's going to be an uphill climb and I don't know how I'm going to manage it, but I will get through it. I've survived in this house for too many years, and mostly on the kindness of strangers... but I'm going to have to find another way of living now."

"You could stay here – until you find your feet, of course," Toto added hurriedly. "There are plenty of rooms in the house and we never changed this room because Baron wouldn't let us, so we could let you stay in it. We would still be able to rent out the castle, I expect." He stood up and offered the blonde a hand. "So what do you say? Are you willing to depend on the kindness of strangers for a little longer?"

Louise looked up at him; a soft smile beginning to form. "Yes," she said, and placed her slender hand in his, "I think so." The smile strengthened. "I think so indeed."

ooOoo

Haru looked down to her and Baron's joined hands. Still a spark of joy lit up in her at the fact she was now able to hold his hand and physically feel his presence. Things had changed so much in so short a time.

"What are you thinking about?" Baron asked softly.

"You. Me," Haru replied honestly. "How weird this whole trip has been."

"I wasn't quite expecting that last thought, but I see where you're coming from."

Haru smiled to herself. She let her head fall onto his shoulder as she stood on the back porch and admired the snow-capped gardens before her. The snow hadn't gone yet, but it was well on its way.

"Baron?"

"Hm?"

"What are we going to do now? I mean, according to the records, you disappeared a hundred or so years ago."

Baron considered this for a moment. "You should carry on your education," he said decidedly, "and carry on with whatever career prospects you had. I'm not going to hinder your future. I," he added just as Haru began to speak, "will try to get to grips with this day and age. Watching it from the sidelines is very different to actually living it."

"What about the castle?"

"What _about_ the castle? Officially, it's Toto and Renaldo's. I have no claim on it."

"Except the fact that it was originally yours."

"Things have changed since then," Baron reminded her. "Maybe if I make enough money, I may buy the place off them, but to be honest I have lived here long enough. It's time I moved on."

He turned and smiled at Haru with a smile that near made her heart melt.

"Anyway, as long as I'm with you, I don't care where we are. I've been given a fresh chance at life and I plan on savouring every second of it. Whatever the future brings."

'_After all_,' he added mentally, looking lovingly at the brunette who was wonderfully, inexplicably, amazingly his, '_who knows what the future will bring_.'

**ooOoo**

**A/N: Yay! Finished! To be honest, I wasn't that sure of this story. It started off well, and then chapter 12 suddenly stopped, and then suddenly it picked back up again after several weeks avoiding me. As mentioned, this was inspired when someone mentioned that they were actually going to spend the weekend in an old castle for a birthday present, under much the same settings as this. You wouldn't believe the amount of jokes that cropped up about seeing ghosts. And following that came a lot of "what ifs" mixed with my usual overdose of TCR and this was the end result.**

**Thanks to all my reviewers: **_**Suki-Alanna, isara-love, Nanenna, inujisan, James Birdsong, mAutumn, Raye of the Sunshine, Aperio, Ebony Mitsu, HaruxBaron4eva12, The Count Luca van Andrews, laurashrub, TheGamerSwordsman, Angel of Love and Fluffy Stuff, neko girl, CharlyKaa (Kaa), L.M. Dodger, bee3, Midnight the Black Fox**_**, **_**Vivid x Dreams, maddie-mira, TheRightGirl, delilah hunter, inulover1993, TomTheBoy, SilentSiren1526, Rowena BaronErikandSnapeLover, DancingWeretigress, A Toxic Detective x, CC21, ScyRy, Hollow's Xmas, WhiteDemoness11, Clara954, Bad Octopus **_**and**_** Akatsuki Demon Kiera666. **_**And to every _guest_ who didn't leave a name. You keep us writers writing!**

**Toto and Louise? S'pose it is possible and I've become rather fond of the idea now... This is the first time I've even hinted towards a pairing for her and I think I may do it again. I guess I felt guilty for neglecting her in the past. And for those LunexYuki fans... sorry. I'm not really suggesting Yuki is Louise in the film... but the similarities were just too close NOT to take advantage of in this. (And cookies to whoever gets where the 'kindness of strangers' line came from.)**

**Next story's summary:**

_**Could something as simple as love break a curse? Then again, when was love ever simple?**_

**Hope that got you interested! The next storyline has got to be one of my favourites so I hope you avid readers and reviewers will enjoy it too. It has a little mix of quite a few things that should become clear as it develops. As you've probably realised, I posted the first chapter early as a birthday present of sorts and I hope you enjoyed it.**

**See you then and God Bless.**

**Catsafari. =^^=**


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